Cristiano Ronaldo lifted Juventus into the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday with a spectacular hat-trick, and then goaded his old enemy Atletico Madrid by mimicking Diego Simeone’s crotch-grabbing celebration in front of the Spanish fans.
The 34-year-old Portuguese superstar scored two headers and a late penalty to clinch a place in Friday’s last-eight draw with a dominant display and 3-2 aggregate victory by the Italian champions in Turin.
After scoring the decisive penalty four minutes from time, Ronaldo turned towards the Atletico fans and replicated Simeone’s gesture after the Spaniards’ 2-0 first leg win by grasping his genitals and thrusting out his groin.
“He will have seen how I did it at the Wanda Metropolitano and, like me, was trying to show his character,” said Simeone, who was fined 20,000 euros [$22,000] by UEFA for his gesture.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is the best in the world, he can put in these performances on big nights,” added the Argentinian coach.
Twitter, as one would expect, was full of praise for Ronaldo after Wednesday’s game. Fans hailed the Portuguese for equaling Lionel Messi’s Champions League hat-trick tally (eight), and trolled Simeone for his celebration after Atletico’s first leg win.
Here are some tweets
i’m convinced ronaldo invented soccer at this point🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/ekBo31DK0n
— nick foles fan acc (@Mauger32) March 13, 2019
Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League:
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) March 13, 2019
✅ Most goals
✅ Most home goals
✅ Most away goals
✅ Most group stage goals
✅ Most knock-out goals
✅ Most final goals
✅ Most free-kicks
✅ Most penalties
✅ Most headers
✅ Most braces
✅ Most assistshttps://t.co/7VD61hnBpJ pic.twitter.com/Is14Rxc5Ph
Amazing @Cristiano show 🔥👑 #UCL
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) March 12, 2019
Hattrick bos hattrick ⚽⚽⚽#Ronaldo #Cristiano pic.twitter.com/OKin9wfeUu
— Besse (@farhanfahrezi_) March 13, 2019
#GOAT Cristiano Ronaldo heat map tonight against Atletico Madrid #JuveAtleti #GOAT juve pic.twitter.com/tHxDSy4j7p
— Amit12101991 (@anirurudh_singh) March 13, 2019
Ronaldo scores in the Champions League, in other news water is wet.
— Footy Humour (@FootyHumour) March 12, 2019
Ronaldo you beauty.. -
— Rrishi Mishra (@Dumbell_door) March 13, 2019
"The man that makes the difference"#CristianoRonaldo #GOAT pic.twitter.com/Nc8G65OqgT
Best footballers of all time:
— segunasv07 (@segunasv07) March 13, 2019
1) Real Madrid Ronaldo
2) Manchester United Ronaldo
3) Juventus Ronaldo
Worthy mentions:
4) Portugal National Team Ronaldo
5) Injured Ronaldo
6) Benched Ronaldo
7) Barely interested Ronaldo
🐐 pic.twitter.com/2hzKnYhniG
*whatsapp group*
— Best In Class. ✌✌ (@YaraduaAhmed) March 12, 2019
Simeone: I'll win the champions league
Ronaldo: typing...
Simeone: pic.twitter.com/N0OD5LdYQN
A list of players to score hat-tricks against Atletico Madrid since Diego Simeone was appointed their manager in December 2011 (418 games in charge):
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@TeamCRonaldo) March 12, 2019
Cristiano Ronaldo - 4 hat-tricks v Atletico, including 3 in his last 8 apps
List ends.pic.twitter.com/njBwMTmT8S