Cristiano Ronaldo's Greatest Moments at Real Madrid so Far (Video)

Unlike his eternal opponent, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo will always be a player who divides opinion. Football fans have become accustomed to his goals and tricks; now, most discussions about Ronaldo center on his flaws and weaknesses.

"Is Ronaldo too arrogant?"

"Has his move from Manchester United backfired?"

"Is he too selfish?"

"Will he ever pass Messi?" 

These are the questions that usually arise when Ronaldo's name is mentioned. But whether you hate him or love him, there's no denying that Ronaldo is one of the best footballers in football history, and an amazing entertainer.

Here are his top 10 moments in a Real Madrid jersey:

2009-10: First Hat-Trick vs. Mallorca

Despite posting 96 points in 2009-10, Real Madrid were beaten to the title by a superior Barcelona team, who broke the league record with 99 points and won both domestic league derby matches.

Real were also humiliated in the Copa del Rey by Alcorcon and edged out of the Champions League by Lyon. Meanwhile, Barcelona would go on to win both competitions.

As such, the only highlights for Ronaldo from this season are his personal achievements. On May 5th, 2010, at the end of the season, Ronaldo scored his first Real Madrid hat-trick, a sign of the things to come.

2010-11: Four Goals vs. Racing Santander

In 2010-11, Cristiano Ronaldo took his scoring to a whole other level; a level which only the biggest legends (Lionel Messi, Romario, Ronaldo, etc) can ever dream of reaching.

He had his first four-goal match vs Racing Santander on October 23rd, 2010, and would repeat the feat again against Sevilla towards the end of the season. He had four hat-tricks in 2010-11 in addition to his two four-goal games.

2010-11: Game-Winning Header in Copa Del Rey Final

Over the course of his first two seasons at Real Madrid, Ronaldo's record against Barcelona did not look good at all. He'd lost two Clasicos in 2009-10, and had lost and drawn two others in 2010-11 heading into the Copa del Rey final.

Finally though, in the Copa del Rey final, Ronaldo came up with the goods. After the game went into extra-time, Ronaldo converted a Angel di Maria cross in the 102nd minute to narrowly capture his first trophy for Real Madrid.

2010-11: Goal Records

Though the 2010-11 season didn't bring Real Madrid or Cristiano Ronaldo the trophies they desired at the start of the season, Ronaldo's consolation prize was that he broke two major goal records in that season.

His 40 league goals surpassed the record of 38 goals set by Telmo Zarra and Hugo Sanchez for most goals in a La Liga season—this record has since been surpassed by Lionel Messi with 50—and won him both the European Golden Shoe and Pichichi awards.

2011-12: Pass of the Season

If there's an assist form Cristiano Ronaldo that I will always remember, it's this one.

There's no official prize for "Pass of the Season" awarded by either the Spanish Football Federation or FIFA, but if there was, this pass would win it. It may seem simple enough, but the technique and audacity to pull off a pass like that is incredible.

And this coming from a guy most perceive to be selfish. He's no Lionel Messi in the assist department, but 18 assists last season and 17 this season is nothing to scoff at. 

2011-12: Incredibly Arrogant or Absolutely Brilliant?

It's not easy winning game after game. Against Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid found it tougher than usual to breach Rayo's defense, and went into half-time scoreless.

It looked like the second half would be more of the same, as Rayo kept up its ultra-defensive approach. In the end though, they were undone by a moment of genius from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Whether you think the goal was smartly taken or arrogance at its peak, there's no denying its importance and uniqueness. It was Madrid's only goal of the game, securing all three points for the Madridistas, and it was a goal that only Ronaldo could score.

2011-12: World-Class Performance vs. Atletico Madrid

21/22 wins between late September and mid-March meant that Real Madrid were in pole position to win La Liga way before the end of the season. In fact, Barcelona's inconsistency meant that Madrid had a 10 point lead in first place in the league by mid-February.

But Barcelona would not go without a fight, and nine straight wins cut the lead down to just four points as Real Madrid stumbled to three draws and two wins over a five game stretch.

A loss to Atletico Madrid would potentially cut Real's lead from 10 points to just one, and put Real at risk of losing their lead in the league after El Clasico, which was to be played in Camp Nou.

With the pressure of Real's season and millions of fans on his shoulders, Ronaldo stepped up to the plate and put in one of his best performances in a Real shirt.

He opened the scoring with a brilliant free-kick, put his team ahead again after Falcao had equalized for Atletico Madrid with a powerful shot from outside the box, and put the icing on the cake with a well-taken penalty.

And for good measure, he assisted Los Blancos' fourth goal of the game as well.

Up to this game, Ronaldo had received a great deal of flack for disappearing or under-performing in Madrid's big games. This game emphatically refuted that claim.

But it would not be the last time Ronaldo would come up big in the 2011-12 season...

2011-12: First League Clasico Victory

The victory over Atletico Madrid earned Madrid some breathing room, but they were not yet out of the woods. A Clasico win could potentially get Barcelona within a point of Real Madrid, and then any slip up in Madrid's remaining three La Liga matches would likely see Barcelona move into first place.

Madrid needed to avoid losing in this Clasico, but more importantly, Ronaldo needed to win. Since moving to Madrid, Ronaldo's only Clasico victory over Barcelona had come in the Copa del Rey final.

In La Liga, Ronaldo's record in El Clasico was 0-1-4. The record was even worse when non-league matches were included.

For once though, Ronaldo came up on top against Barcelona, and just like against Atletico Madrid, Ronaldo was at the center of the action. He took the game into his hands, and came up with the winning goal.

2011-12: Sealing the Title @ Bilbao

At last, Madrid sealed the 2011-12 La Liga title in their 36th match of the season with a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. Despite missing a penalty, Ronaldo made up for it with a well-placed header and assist, putting the game out of reach by the 50th minute.

Though the title does not vindicate Ronaldo's move from Manchester United, it is the first step to vindication, and his first major title with the club so far.

The Future

For all of his records and goals, Ronaldo's trophy cabinet at Real Madrid is still relatively empty compared to how it was at Manchester United.

Ronaldo may have given his season a 10—and looking at the stats, that's probably fair—but he has now failed to win the coveted Champions League trophy in all three of his seasons at Madrid, and knows that he will never be called "the best" again until he does.

The truth is, like Messi, there is little more that Ronaldo can do to amaze us. Goals are now ordinary and expected from Ronaldo; after scoring 53 last season and 60 this season, the "wow factor" of Ronaldo's goal-scoring exploits is well and truly gone.

Even if Ronaldo does turn up next season with 65 or 70 goals, it won't matter for much. Messi scored 73 goals this season, and that many goals already points to an unhealthy reliance on one player by a team.

But the signs for next season are positive. Real Madrid have shown legitimate growth under Jose Mourinho, and Mourinho has signaled his intention to stay and win the Champions League with Madrid by signing a contract extension with the club.

Meanwhile, Barcelona face a summer of uncertainty with Tito Villanova, who will surely want to shape the Barca squad to his liking and impose his own style on the team, even if he is likely to continue the "tiki-taka" legacy of Pep Guardiola.

With 146 goals in 144 games, Ronaldo has had many terrific moments as a Real Madrid player.

He's scored and scored, and scored some more. In the end though, football is about trophies, and the happiness of scoring will pale in comparison to happiness Ronaldo will feel if he can take Madrid back to the pinnacle of world football with a Champions League title.