Cristiano Ronaldo: CR7 Proves Once Again He's One of World's Best Footballers

Hate him or not, Cristiano Ronaldo is a baller.

The football player put Portugal on his back and scored both goals in their 2-1 win over the Netherlands. His performance proves yet again that he’s one of, if not the best, footballers in the world.

Ronaldo scored a whopping 60 goals this past season for Real Madrid. Going into Sunday’s match, though, he had yet to score a goal for Portugal in Euro 2012.

His critics weren’t going to miss an opportunity to bash Ronaldo. They brought out their megaphones and blasted the superstar.

Now, the megaphones are nowhere to be found.

Portugal needed a win to advance out of the group stage and Ronaldo delivered. He single-handedly kept their European Championship hopes alive. His pair of goals make him only one of 11 players to score multiple goals in the group stage of the tournament.

Ronaldo’s clutch performance not only redeems his slow start, but it puts him back into the discussion as the world’s best footballer. According to ESPN, Sir Alexander Ferguson once said of Ronaldo:

"

I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. He is better than Kaka and better than Messi. He is streets ahead of them all. His contribution as a goal threat is unbelievable. His stats are incredible. Strikes at goal, attempts on goal, raids into the penalty box, headers. It is all there. Absolutely astounding.

"

Of course, in his two matches with Argentina earlier this June, Lionel Messi scored four goals including a hat trick against Brazil. It’s difficult to make an argument in Ronaldo’s favor over Messi right now. But Ronaldo makes a strong case for being the best in the world besides the Argentinean.

Wherever he ranks, if Portugal defeats the Czech Republic on Thursday, you better believe that Ronaldo influenced the outcome of the match.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels