Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Portugal’s national team, was honored with a special award by UEFA on Thursday in Monaco, recognizing his outstanding legacy in the UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo, who has played for top clubs including Sporting Clube de Portugal, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, stands atop the Champions League scoring charts with 11 more goals than his closest rival, Lionel Messi, and 46 ahead of Robert Lewandowski in third place.
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“It’s a pleasure to be here. Thank you for this amazing award. As you know, the Champions League is the highest in football. The records speak for themselves, but the league is at that level because of the players that play in the competition. I have nice memories coming to this gala, and football is managed by memories. So, thank you for this,” Ronaldo expressed in his acceptance speech.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s remarkable achievements in the Champions League include winning the competition once with Manchester United and four times with Real Madrid, making him the first player in history to win the title five times. He remains the only player to have scored in three separate UEFA Champions League finals, achieving this feat in 2008, 2014, and 2017.
Further cementing his legacy, Ronaldo holds the record for the longest consecutive scoring streak in the Champions League, having netted in 11 successive matches between June 2017 and April 2018. He has also scored an impressive eight Champions League hat-tricks.
Reflecting on his career, Ronaldo said, “The first one is always the special one, when I was in Manchester. Of course, Real Madrid was differently special, winning four times there. At that time, in Lisbon in 2018, I remember I felt like the most expensive player in the world and there was pressure about winning the Champions League. But I think goals and trophies are like ketchup, once they start coming, they keep coming.”
