Ronaldo in a league of his own – Zidane

Cristiano Ronaldo defies categorisation and is in “a league of his own”, Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has said.

The 32-year-old became the first player to reach 100 goals in the Champions League thanks to a hat-trick in the 4-2 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Ronaldo only scored twice in the group stage, but hit five over the two legs of the quarter-final against Bayern, helping the holders to a 6-3 aggregate victory that saw them reach the semi-final stage for a record seventh season in a row.

Zidane believes the Portugal star has shown that he is the man for the big occasion, even when there are doubts over his form.

Another night to remember. Amazing win!! Great team work!  pic.twitter.com/H2qRcg7XYe

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) April 18, 2017

“I don’t think there is a category for him,” he said. “What Cristiano is doing is impressive. He’s always here, he’s still involved in the important moments.

“Sometimes when he doesn’t score we wonder what’s happening to him. But in the important moments, we can count on him. He showed that here when he scored three goals.

“He’s in a league of his own. Few players could do what Ronaldo is doing. We all know that.”