UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin presented a special award to Cristiano Ronaldo in honour of his outstanding accomplishments and enduring legacy in European club football.
At the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday, the 36-team league phase draw event for the inaugural 2024–25 UEFA Champions League took place, and Ronaldo was given a special honour.
Ronaldo’s name is inscribed in the annals of football history and his career in the Champions League is unmatched. The Portuguese sensation has been a fixture in Europe’s top club competition for over 18 years, setting the bar high with his incredible talent, commitment, and unwavering drive for victory.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s UCL Career
Ronaldo has made 183 appearances in the Champions League over his storied career, with stints with Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, all of which he helped to shape.
He is the competition’s all-time top scorer thanks to his unrivalled goal-scoring ability, a record that attests to his steady genius on the biggest stage.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner demonstrated his capacity to perform well under extreme circumstances as he became the first player to score in three finals.
Furthermore, he set a record by scoring in 11 straight Champions League games, which may never be surpassed. His 140 goals in the competition and his impactful, game-changing plays have cemented his place among the greatest football players of all time.
Ronaldo, a five-time UEFA Champions League winner, experienced his first taste of European success in 2008 while playing for Manchester United.
He scored the first goal with a strong header in an unforgettable final versus Chelsea, only to feel every emotion when his penalty was saved in the ensuing shootout. But after Chelsea’s John Terry stumbled and missed a vital penalty, Edwin van der Sar stopped Nicolas Anelka’s shot, and United won.
Ronaldo’s tenure with Real Madrid, where he was a key player in the team’s supremacy of European football, further solidified his legacy.
He played a key role in their victory over Atletico Madrid in 2014, and from 2015 to 2017, he was the main motivator behind Madrid’s unprecedented three-peat of Champions League victories.
His unparalleled leadership and scoring prowess were on full display in each of these triumphs, which significantly enhanced the club’s standing as a football superpower.
