Zlatan Ibrahimovic added to the plaudits for Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning strike against Juventus – but did so in his own inimitable style.
Ronaldo gave Real Madrid an early lead in the Champions League quarter-final clash in Turin on Tuesday with an opportunistic finish but stole the show after half-time.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner powered home a remarkable overhead kick that drew applause from the Juventus fans as the traveling Madrid contingent celebrated jubilantly.
By the time Marcelo wrapped up a 3-0 first-leg win for Zinedine Zidane’s side, Ronaldo’s heroics had already gone viral around the globe. Ibrahimovic added some self-referencing and qualified praise.
“It was a nice goal,” he said on ESPN Sportscenter. “But he should try it from 40 meters.”
Ibrahimovic marked his LA Galaxy debut with a spectacular long-range strike – part of a match-winning brace against LAFC – but might also have been referencing his wonderful overhead attempt for Sweden against England in 2012.
The striker scored all four goals for his country in a 4-2 win over the Three Lions in Stockholm.
Ronaldo’s showstopper prompted comparisons with many of football’s great overhead kicks, allowing Rio Ferdinand to have fun at the expense of another former Manchester United team-mate, Wayne Rooney.
Rooney memorably secured a 2-1 derby win over Manchester City with a spectacular effort in 2011, but Ferdinand was keen to draw attention towards an element of luck involved on that occasion.
“Watching greatness,” he tweeted. “Don’t be comparing Cristiano’s overhead kick to Wayne Rooney’s vs Man City, which came off his shin…Morning Wazza!!”
Source: yahoo
