The Portuguese struck two wonderful goals and ended the game with four following a stunning second-half showing against Celta after he had been jeered earlier on in the match
What a difference a week can make. Last Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo put himself in the line of fire following some controversial comments and a poor performance in the derby defeat against Atletico. But his four goals for Real Madrid on Saturday showed the Portuguese at his brilliant best.
The three-time Ballon d'Or winner was jeered by some supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu against Celta Vigo, with fans frustated at how he gave the ball away on several occasions. However, Ronaldo responded emphatically.
First of all, he blasted a stunning strike into the corner from 25 yards out and celebrated by pointing to his ear in a clear message to his detractors. It was the ideal riposte, yet there was plenty more to come: a fantastic free-kick curled into the top corner; another one which was pushed onto the bar from even further out; a typical centre-forward's finish from close range to complete his hat-trick; and a late header to net his fourth.
Last weekend's Ronaldo cut a forlorn figure, but this version is the one Madrid fans know, one they love and one they would like to see much more often.
"If everyone was at my level, we would be first in the league," Ronaldo had said in the mixed zone after the derby. That was not true taking into account the display against Atleti, but perhaps would be a fair conclusion on this Saturday's evidence and his four goals in just 26 minutes in the second period against a side that had given Madrid plenty to think about in the opening half.
Those four goals saw the 31-year-old pass the 250-goal mark in La Liga and also surpass Athletic Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra to move up to second in the list of all-time top scorers in the Primera Division behind Barcelona's Lionel Messi. And amazingly, his 252 strikes in the competition have been scored in just 228 games.
Not that Madrid will win La Liga, of course. Zinedine Zidane's side are too far behind Barca to have a realistic chance of claiming the title, yet the Portuguese's performance will give the team hope for the one objective left in the current campaign: the Champions League.
Madrid's pursuit of La Undecima - an 11th Champions League title - starts again on Tuesday with the visit of Roma and Real hold a 2-0 advantage following the first leg in the Italian capital. With Ronaldo on this form, advancing to the last eight of the continental competition should be a formality - especially as Gareth Bale and Marcelo also made their returns to action against Celta.
FULL STORY | Ronaldo scores four as Madrid hit Celta for seven
Asked about the jeers for the Portuguese, Zidane said: "I'll focus on his performance. Jeers are part of football. They don't only whistle Cristiano. The fans are demanding, they want more from the players, but that's good. And you all know Cristiano - he's capable of scoring four. He's unique."
And asked later about Ronaldo's shooting technique, he said: "He's unique, only he can strike the ball like that. I used to strike the ball well from closer range, but I never scored four goals, so I can't describe that feeling. He's unique and it's important that he's scoring ahead of the Champions League [game]."
It is indeed good timing and the Portuguese will now be charged with producing such performances when it matters most. The Champions League now represents an opportunity to salvage something special from a disappointing season and to win it, Madrid will need Ronaldo firing just like he was on Saturday.
Ronaldo explained that his controversial comments were intended to point out that it is difficult to compete when players like Karim Benzema and Bale are constantly missing through injury, but the truth is that if he were able to perform every week as he did against Celta on Saturday, Madrid may well be top of La Liga.
And if he can replicate such showings in the Champions League, La Undecima may not be the impossible dream it has looked following recent displays.
So that is the challenge now for Ronaldo: carrying such performances into games against the top teams - something he has been unable to do nearly enough in 2015-16.
Because the Ronaldo that appeared against Celta is the one everyone at Madrid wants to see. And for the best interests of the club in the remainder of this season and beyond, long may it continue.
- Goal