Former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo won the UEFA Goal of the Season award on Tuesday for his bicycle kick against his now current club Juventus in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final.
The Portuguese forward garnered a resounding 197,496 votes online from fans, beating Marseille midfielder Dimitri Payet of France, who received 35,558 votes for his shot against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final, reports Efe news.
UEFA technical observers said Ronaldo's goal showed "An extraordinary display of technique and athleticism," in a statement on the European football organization's website.
Ronaldo led Real Madrid to a resounding 3-0 victory over Juventus on April 3, scoring twice - the second time with his overhead kick for the ages - and assisting on the third goal.
His current teammate Mario Mandzukic won the award in 2017 and Barcelona's Lionel Messi won in 2015 and 2016.
With 23,315 votes, the third place went to Spain's Eva Navarro for her solo goal against Germany in the UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship on May 21, described by UEFA experts as a "beautiful curling shot after nimble footwork to beat defenders."
Ronaldo and his former club Real Madrid had an extremely dominant run towards the end of his playing time in the Spanish capital, most notably winning four UEFA Champions League titles in the span of just five years. This included three consecutive titles in the last three seasons under the now former manager Zinedine Zidane.
Ronaldo left Real Madrid in the summer to join the Italian heavyweights in Turin in a deal worth 105 million euros.
'With IANS inputs'