Feb 19
Rio Ferdinand claims Cristiano Ronaldo deliberately caused the ball to bounce before his 45th-minute penalty against Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday night.
With Paris Saint Germain leading 1-0 through an Adrien Rabiot goal, Giovani Lo Celso brought down Toni Kroos in the penalty area on the stroke of halftime. Ronaldo duly stepped up and powerfully converted the spot-kick taking him to 100 Champions League goals with Real Madrid.
There is more than meets the eye, however, and several eagle-eyed fans spotted the Portuguese forward plant his left foot next to the ball with such force that the ball seemed to rise up from the ground allowing him to dispatch a volley with his right.
It is an extraordinary technique that Manchester United legend and pundit Rio Ferdinand says Ronaldo used to practice in training at Carrington training ground.
To which Rio Ferdinand replied: ‘He used to do that in training, you know. I’m not sure he meant to do that there, but he did use to do that in training. I swear, crazy.’
Gary Lineker, like many football fans around the globe, was in disbelief but regardless of Ronaldo’s intention, the 33-year old forward’s esteemed career has reached indisputable new heights as he became the first player to score 100 Champions League goals for a single club.
Zinedine Zidane looks to have kept his managerial prospects alive for a while longer at least with a little help from the Portuguese international.
The La Liga giants will be hoping the two-goal advantage will be more than enough to see them through when they arrive at Parc des Princes on Tuesday 6th March.
