Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondentApr 4, 2018, 03:23 AM ET
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo's phenomenal bicycle kick in his team's 3-0 Champions League quarterfinal first leg win over Juventus was understandably hailed in the local and international press as a historic moment for both the 33-year-old personally and the sport in general.
Marca's very simple cover summed up the feeling around the Spanish capital 'The Goal,' said the headline over an incredible image showing just how high Ronaldo had leaped in the air to make contact with Dani Carvajal's cross. 'Cristiano scores a chilena [bicycle kick] for the history books, which rises the Juventus Stadium to its feet'.
#LaPortadaEL GOL (con mayúsculas) https://t.co/fTwV54dNcD #Champions
—MARCA (@marca) April4, 2018
AS front page had the same photo and asked 'What planet are you from?' -- which was also the headline over a match report which recalled Ronaldo had tried to score a perfect bicycle kick many times over his career, but now at 33 had pulled it off at just a perfect moment.
Buenos días, aquí tenéis la #PortadaASdel 4 de abril de 2018 pic.twitter.com/SVaR0ALKFu
—AS (@diarioas) April4, 2018
"Madrid were sitting even further back after the break, until Cristiano scored a goal for the history books. He fought for a loose ball, and found Lucas, whose shot was saved by Buffon. The move seemed over, but Carvajal picked up the rebound, put the ball back into the area and at two metres off the ground Cristiano constructed a 'chilena' for eternity. A goal tried for 1,000 times and achieved, finally, on an unbetterable stage, acclaimed by the fans, who looked on it as you would look at a [painting by] Velazquez."
Marca's analysts quickly worked out that the Portugal captain's foot was 2.38m off the ground when he made contact, almost the same height as the crossbar [2.44], making Juventus defender Mattia De Sciglio's attempt to get his head to the ball totally redundant.
Cristiano Ronaldo enganchó la chilena... ¡casi a la altura del larguero! https://t.co/CvFxmhl66x #Championspic.twitter.com/bWAhxgGdxB
—MARCA (@marca) April3, 2018
'A martian in the sky' was La Gazzetta dello Sport's headline emblazoned over an image of Cristiano Ronaldo in mid-air, acrobatically scoring one of the Champions League's most memorable goals. 'After opening the scoring immediately, CR7 enchanted Turin with something amazing,' continued the Gazzetta.
Sulla #Gazzetta in edicola oggi ⚽ CRWOW! Juve battuta da un marziano #JuveReal ⚽ Oggi Messi: ci sei Roma? ⚽ C'è #MilanInter mamma che derby
— LaGazzettadelloSport (@Gazzetta_it) April 4, 2018
E molto altro! pic.twitter.com/dOPfm3JJUB
The Portuguese forward received 9/10 for his performance, with the justification that 'it's not yet clear whether the goosebumps were caused more by his overhead kick (a masterpiece worthy of its place in footballing museums) or whether it was the stadium, bit by bit, standing up to applaud him.' He's a 'beautiful monster who has fans and records bowing at him'.
The word 'martian' is also used by Il Corriere dello Sport to try to put into words the almost extra-terrestrial quality of Ronaldo's goal. 'Against a Cristiano Ronaldo on a night like this, there's little or nothing you can do.' The paper's front-page headline reads: 'work of art - a masterpiece of an overhead kick from Ronaldo.'
Turin-based Tuttosport had just two words covering its front page, unsurprisingly also immortalising Ronaldo's overhead kick: 'another planet'. They lead with Ronaldo's thanks for the applause reserved to him by the fans of a side he has now put nine goals past in six games, although this one was easier to digest due to its outstanding technical quality.
L'Equipe continued the extra-terrestrial theme with 'From another planet'.
La numérique consacre sa Une à la performance extraterrestre de Cristiano Ronaldo et du Real Madrid ce mardi en Ligue des champions https://t.co/6uzryk2yfn pic.twitter.com/jDNNcWhRwm
—L'ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) April4, 2018
Spain's broadsheets were also united in their acclaim.
El Pais: "Another monument from Cristiano as Real Madrid hammer Juventus"
"Cristiano is infinite. Today, he rhymes like nobody else with the European Cup. With the Portuguese on their shoulders, Real Madrid left Turin with one foot in the Champions League semi-final. They did it like a great, because only a great can hammer Juve in a stadium they had only lost six of their previous 178 official games. Madrid left on the canvas an opponent whose lights they knocked out in the two penalty areas."
El Mundo: 'Cristiano scores the goal of his life to crush Juventus'
"Cristiano Ronaldo found gold in the rainy sky of Turin. More than two metres off the ground, he caught the goal of his life. The bicycle kick he had spent years looking for, the photograph that the best forward in history was missing, he achieved against a legend, to add even more to his work of art. Gianluigi Buffon could only watch with desolation as the ball hit the net. In that moment, the Juventus fans rose to their feet and showed their level by applauding the marvel from the Portuguese, who put his hand to his heart to show his appreciation of such an elegant reaction."
Mundo Deportivo: Cristiano Ronaldo destroys Juventus'
"The beast appeared in Turin's Allianz Stadium to destroy Juventus and decide already the Champions League quarter-final tie. Cristiano Ronaldo showed that he is currently the best centre-forward around with two goals, the second historic, to sink a Juventus team which had battled until the second goal went in. The 0-3 does not reflect the possession of the ball but does show the big difference between the two teams, that can be written with just one name: Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese already has 14 Champions League goals and 39 in total this season."
Information from Ben Gladwell was used in this report.
