At this point in his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has proved his doubters wrong.
The Real Madrid superstar has won domestic titles in England and Spain as well as his native Portugal, and he has lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy on four separate occasions. He was the talisman on Portugal's 2016 European Championship victory, and he's claimed five Ballons d'Or as the best player in the world.
Ronaldo is also the all-time leading goal scorer in the Champions League.
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Despite his sterling resumé, Ronaldo somehow still has his detractors. With Real Madrid facing Liverpool on Saturday in the Champions League final, the 33-year-old has yet another opportunity to quiet the naysayers, especially after a roller coaster campaign in which Madrid did not challenge for the La Liga title.
His coach has little doubt that Ronaldo will be up to the challenge, with Saturday's contest coming after a foot injury sidelined his star player for a spell near the end of the domestic campaign.
"Ronaldo knows that a player can have difficult times, but everything is different with him," Zinedine Zidane said of Ronaldo earlier this week. "He doesn't get nervous if he doesn't score. He knows he will score twice or three times next game and that's exactly what has happened this season."
Criticize @Cristiano at your own risk, says @realmadrid boss Zinedine Zidane! 😬 pic.twitter.com/ThNSIXMtnm
— Sporting News Canada (@sportingnewsca) May 25, 2018
Ronaldo scored in every league match he appeared in for Madrid since early February, and tallied in four of the team's six Champions League fixtures during that timeframe, but he failed to get on the score sheet in either of the two semifinal legs against Bayern Munich, which has garnered some conversation about his effectiveness of late.
Zidane isn't having any of it, backing Ronaldo to come back from his Champions League mini-drought with the kind of play that has earned him virtually every honour a soccer player could garner over his career.
The Madrid manager even issued a warning to Ronaldo's detractors ahead of Saturday's final.
"He was criticized but he always comes back and that's why he's the best," Zidane stated. "Some players suffer under pressure, but others are are OK with it.
"Cristiano is one of them, if you criticize him, be careful."