Ronaldo, Ronaldo, & Ronaldo Again
Ronaldo had mentioned before the game that an unbelievable night would be required to come back from a 2-0 against Atletico Madrid, and it turned out to be a very memorable one indeed.
Juventus exhibited a masterful display in their home city of Turin as they looked to produce a miraculous display in order to reach the last eight of the Champions League, and they did so thanks to the man who equalled Lionel Messi for having the most hat tricks in the competition, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Acquired this season from Atletico’s city rivals, Real Madrid, Cristiano suggested after the game that his performance last night was an accurate picture as to why The Old Lady invested £100m in the summer to bring him to Italy’s most successful club.
Juventus were still heartbroken after last season’s memorable night in Madrid where a penalty by the man himself ended Juve’s chances in the tournament, knocking them out after a thrilling comeback almost saw the Italian champions overturn a first leg defeat. Instead, it was Madrid who went on to win the competition. The Juve supporters were in need of a magical night to heal those wounds, and Ronaldo struck three times to bolster his new team into what could be a magical season.
Whether you’re a supporter, a neutral or even a hater, the whole world knows that this man is a huge media draw, and any game where he has the chance to steal the show should be a red letter day for those in the media to take advantage. Whether it’s one of his sponsor brands, a rights holder or broadcaster with access to the footage, or a social media account getting in on the buzz, there’s a real chance to capitalise on this one-man meme generating machine.
Cristiano Ronaldo 😳
We are all blessed to watch him play football 🙏 pic.twitter.com/rtwDrKjiFt
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 12, 2019
Clearly, when Ronaldo does something, people take notice. It doesn’t matter if he posts on Instagram or scores a hat trick, but it wasn’t just his goals that caught the eye this week: it was the narrative, the comeback and the fact that even when celebrating his third goal Ronaldo managed to get in a dig at the opposition.
"He's a living football God!"
"He's the best header of the ball I've ever seen."
The Champions League is Cristiano Ronaldo's playground 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kr1zgKu3hz
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 12, 2019
As the broadcaster with UK Champions League rights, BT Sport’s Football account on Twitter made great use of the five-time Ballon D’Or winner and his exploits, but they’re not the only ones.
This was a huge chance to get involved in the conversation and garner a few likes and shares doing it.
CRISTIANO RONALDO HAT TRICK!
⚽ ⚽ ⚽ pic.twitter.com/B2jOna0JZV
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 12, 2019
— 433 (@433) March 12, 2019
The greatest Champions League player ever? 🏆🐐 pic.twitter.com/26c8N526M7
— GOAL (@goal) March 12, 2019
Indeed, at one point, seven out of the last ten posts on Goal.com’s Twitter feed was about Ronaldo!
It’s safe to say that publisher and broadcaster accounts have taken advantage of the Ronaldo show, but it’s interesting that there weren’t too many big name brands (or Ronaldo sponsors like Nike) attempting to muscle in on the display. Were they caught off guard by the fact that this outcome seemed so unlikely?
Social media is a key part of brand marketing strategy nowadays, and this is only becoming even more relevant to all brands. So Ronaldo might well be a topic of interest for brands in the coming days.
Don’t be surprised if Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be the main topic of conversation for a long time to come!
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