Cristiano Ronaldo's Scoring Outburst Sends Message to Rest of Champions League

Cristiano Ronaldo's scoring outburst against Galatasaray sent a message to the rest of the Champions League that the superstar is ready to lead Real Madrid to a serious run at the title.

UEFA's official website has the recap of the 6-1 blowout, and it wasn't all about Ronaldo.

It's a positive sign that the superstar got some help. Isco got the scoring underway late in the first half before Karim Benzema and Ronaldo took over in the second half, with Benzema scoring twice in the final 45 minutes.

But the real story was Ronaldo's huge game.

The 28-year-old scored three times in the second half to put the match away. After Benzema scored his first goal shortly after the break to make it 2-0, Ronaldo scored a pair of goals in a span of a couple minutes. With the score at 5-1 in the closing minutes, Ronaldo netted his third goal of the match.

To say the least, it was a great opener for Madrid. They got their star player off to a fast start, and his supporting cast shows that the club have several different options to use.

Ronaldo led the way last season with 12 goals in 12 UCL games. Benzema was able to score five goals in six matches, and Jose Maria Callejon added a pair of goals in two fixtures.

Los Blancos had plenty of players who scored in last season's UCL run to the semifinals. Unfortunately, the first leg of the semifinals against Borussia Dortmund didn't go too smoothly. Madrid put themselves in a three-goal deficit, which was too much to overcome.

It was a rematch of last season's quarterfinals. Madrid was able to eliminate Galatasaray before going up against Borussia Dortmund in the next round.

Group B is now firmly controlled by Madrid. Galatasaray, Juventus and FC Copenhagen will now face an uphill battle of knocking off Los Blancos. 

Madrid fans were hoping for a fast start. Last season's semifinals loss sent Madrid home disappointed, and there are high expectations for the club. They lead all squads with nine UCL titles, including three since 1998.

As long as Ronaldo continues to score, Madrid will be a serious threat to add to their storied history. The other players on the squad will help the superstar get past the tougher opponents as UCL play heats up.

It was only one match, but Ronaldo's strong start sent a message to the rest of the Champions League that Madrid is going to be a tough out.

*All information is courtesy of UEFA's official website