Ronaldo, the man for the big occasion

Terrassa (Barcelona), December 18: It's been a monumental year for Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo -- the Portuguese striker reiterated a notion that he 'never fails in finals' -- with Saturday's (December 16) FIFA Club World Cup triumph that helped Los Blancos break a club record with five trophies in a single calendar year.

It must be remembered that in all the decisive matches throughout the run, Ronaldo has made a vital contribution.

In the Champions League final in Cardiff, Ronaldo netted twice, on the final La Liga matchday he scored at Malaga's Estadio La Rosaleda, and he found the target against arch rivals Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana too.

Campeones❤️🥇 pic.twitter.com/aPjiyE6NMI

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) December 17, 2017

Ronaldo is the one for the big occasions, even stretching back to his time at Old Trafford when he scored in a Champions League and League Cup final.

His 34th free-kick goal for the Spanish club in the continental title match over Gremio was a memorable one, the power with which he struck the ball helping it fix past Marcelo Grohe into the corner; his 423rd strike for Los Blancos.

"It would be nice and I would like Barcelona to give us a guard of honour," he said in the mixed zone to reporters after the match at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Despite the success, Ronaldo was once again eager to show himself in front of the cameras and defend his record, something which has been maligned by many this term.

"I don't have to constantly talk about myself," he pointed out. "The numbers don't lie, they speak for themselves.

"I'm very happy to have won another title, Real Madrid have never won five trophies in a year and we wanted to do that."

Speculation over his future is something that will never go away, and reports that he is unhappy in Madrid have followed the Portuguese international since 2013.

"You know who's in charge at this club," he joked.

In La Liga, the former Manchester United star has endured his least prolific campaign since he arrived in the Spanish capital back in 2009, suspension and a lack of form hardly helping him along the way.

"If I can, I want to retire in Madrid, although that doesn't depend on me. I don't want to leave the club, I just do my work on the pitch and do it well," added Ronaldo, who will now hope to continue his good run in the traditional El Clasico against archrivals Barcelona to be held on December 23.