Take a Berna-bow! Ronaldo parades his Ballon d'Or award as fans turn stadium into a golden shrine to CR7
Posted Sunday, January 26, 2014 by skysports.com
Cristiano Ronaldo presented the Ballon D’or to 80,000 Real Madrid supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu and then scored the goal that sent his team to the top of the league.
With Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both playing on Sunday Real are the new leaders and it was predictably Ronaldo with his 22nd league goal of this campaign who got their first goal.
Ronaldo was greeted by a golden mosaic spelling out CR7 as he came out on to the pitch. His 69 goals last year helped him win the Ballon d’Or what they were not able to do was guide Madrid to a trophy but on this form it is hard to see how Carlo Ancelotti's side will end the season empty-handed.
Feel the love: Real Madrid fans hold up golden placards to reveal Cristiano Ronaldo's trademark 'CR7' at the Bernabeu
Goldenballs: Cristiano Ronaldo raises the Ballon d'Or award before celebrating his opening goal
There's no I in team: Ronaldo poses for a team photo with Real Madrid teammates and field delegate Agustin Herrerin (C)
All that glitters: Ronaldo stands in between teammates including world record signing Gareth Bale (2R) with his trophy
Centre of attention: All eyes and cameras are on Ronaldo as he shows off his personal award
With Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema in attack and Luka Modric revitalised in midfield alongside Xabi Alonso and the tireless Angel Di Maria Madrid look full of goals.
And with Pepe and Sergio Ramos back to their best in the centre of Real’s defence it is little wonder they have now gone seven games without conceding.
Add to that flying full-backs Marcelo and Dani Carvajal who played a major part in the win and Carlo Ancelotti looks to have found his winning formula.
But it was Ronaldo’s day… again. He showed off the trophy and posed with team-mates and veteran matchday delegate Agustín Herrerín who has served the club for decades and known only two previous Balon d’Or winners who won the award for games played in a Madrid shirt – Raymond Koppa and Alfredo Di Stefano (Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Fabio Cannavaro all won the award as Madrid players but for success achieved elsewhere).
But after that show of humility from Ronaldo Granada set out to humble Madrid and cheered on by 3,000 travelling supporters kept possesion well in the opening stages as Madrid were reduced to shots from distance – most from Ronaldo and most well wide.
Overcrowded: Ronaldo (C) is surrounded by Granada players before scoring his 22nd league goal of the season
High flier: Real Madrid's 2-0 victory over Granada takes Ronaldo's side to the top of the table
On yer bike! Ronaldo tries an audacious overhead kick in the first half, which was only denied by a super save
Strike a pose: Considering all the fanfare surrounding him before the game, it was no surprise that Ronaldo scored
Gareth Bale needed treatment when kicked violently between the legs by Murillo and the Granada defender was the first to go into the book. Sergio Ramos was booked for a challenge that saw him take out the ball, his opponent and team-mate Marcelo.
Madrid had the ball in the net when Benzema headed in from Marcelo’s cross but the flag was correctly raised for off-side. Iturra then turned a Carvajal cross on to his own crossbar as Madrid pressed without success and then right on the stroke of half-time Ronaldo almost put them ahead in the most spectacular fashion, acrobatically bicycle-kicking Carvajal’s cross goalwards only for Roberto to pull-off a miraculous save.
Bale failed to come out for the second half still feeling the effects of the earlier kick to the groin and his replacement Jese shot into the side netting.
Roberto saved from Modric with his legs after the midfielder had ran on to a Di Maria pass and Modric then headed a Ronaldo cross well wide.
But on 57 minutes the breakthrough came Modric played-in Ronaldo in a crowded penalty area and he made room for himself before squeezing a shot into Roberto’s far corner.
French fancy: Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (L) celebrates the second goal with Jese Rodriguez
Exit the Dragon: Gareth Bale tries to beat Manuel Iturra (R), the Welshman was substituted at half-time after a poor challenge
It's been a while: Madrid players, including Pepe (C), celebrate the win that takes them top of La Liga for the first time in 20 months
Numero Uno: Ronaldo beat the likes of nemesis Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery to be crowned world's best player
With the Ronaldo chants now ringing around the Bernabeu he hit a free-kick off that was deflected off of Pepe and on to the Granada cross-bar. He then linked up brilliantly with Marcelo for the second goal.
The two played a one-two down the left and the ball was pulled back to Benzema who put the result beyond doubt.
'He deserves it' said Xabi Alonso of Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or success. 'It was nice for him to share the moment with the rest of the team.'
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