Since today's soccer action was perhaps the most competitive out of the remaining World Cup Qualifiers, it's probably safe to say we all envisioned some heroics. However, today Cristiano Ronaldo gave us something more, something that merits an infinite amount of respect from soccer fans all over the world. His single-handed defeat of Sweden even outshone the impressive French comeback against Ukraine after being down two goals. All in all, it was another display of why Ronaldo deserves the Ballon d'Or.
Inspired performances from Cristiano Ronaldo as of late have been rumored to be sparked by the lack of respect he received from FIFA president Sepp Blatter in a controversial interview and may even be personal testimonies for his candidacy for the award recognizing the world's best player, the aforementioned Ballon d'Or.
Entering the match against Sweden, with Portugal holding a 1-0 lead after the first leg of the home and home series, Ronaldo was (based on this recent form) expected to produce for what has been a lackluster supporting cast. He did more than that.
Trailing 2-1 after two brilliant Zlatan Ibrahimovic goals, it all seemed bleak for Portugal, but as can be seen in the GIF below, their captain continued to bomb down the wings past the aggressive Swedish defense and found himself on the receiving end of probing balls from midfielders Miguel Veloso and Joao Moutinho.
Ronaldo capitalized on almost all of these opportunities, and out of four shots on target, he scored three of them, finishing with a hat-trick, sending his country to the World Cup this summer in Brazil, and establishing his position as frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or, especially when his main competitor, Argentinian international Lionel Messi, remains injured.
How the Portuguese will fare come May remains a question, but if disappointing performances from the squad continue, it could end sooner than manager Paulo Bento and all involved would like. As we all saw today, having Ronaldo can't hurt their chances.
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| Ronaldo celebrates after one of his goals in the match earlier today (Credit: The Daily Mail) |
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