Madrid: Former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo won the ‘UEFA Goal of the Season’ award Tuesday for his bicycle kick against current club Juventus in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final.
The Portugal forward garnered a resounding 197,496 votes online from fans, beating Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet of France, who received 35,558 votes for his shot against RB Leibzig in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final, reports Efe news.
UEFA technical observers said Ronaldo’s goal showed “An extraordinary display of technique and athleticism,” in a statement on the European football organization’s website. Ronaldo led Real Madrid to a resounding 3-0 victory over Juventus April 3, scoring twice – the second time with his overhead kick for the ages – and assisting on the third goal.
His Juventus teammate Mario Mandzukic won the award in 2017 and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi won in 2015 and 2016. With 23,315 votes, the third place went to Spain’s Eva Navarro for her solo goal against Germany in the UEFA European Women’s U-17 Championship, described by UEFA experts as a ‘beautiful curling shot after nimble footwork to beat defenders.’
