Cristiano Ronaldo hit his 69th and 70th international goals for Portugal on Saturday to join an elite club of players to have reached such a milestone. At 32, you wouldn’t put it past Ronaldo to some day eclipse Ferenc Puskas’ European record total of 84 international goals.
Both of his goals were extremely well taken against Hungary, but it was the historic 70th that both celebrated his unique skill and outlined his vast contribution to the sport of football.
By the 21st century, almost every trick had been pulled from the bag in football. Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t the first to strike a dead ball in a way that conjured it to knuckle and dip, but his tomahawk free kick technique is completely inline with his unquestionable greatness.
People may scoff at Ronaldo free kicks that thunder over the net and beyond row Z, but the ones that find the back of the net are wholly unique and demonstrably Ronaldo.
His stance and stuttering run up are copied in parks around the world, but what happens after that very few can replicate. With his standing foot in extreme proximity to the ball, he makes quick and clean contact with his instep, his short follow through makes the ball explode off his foot and elevate quickly.
But the kick, struck just below the center of the football, also ensures a minimum of spin, and the resulting shot then dips back down quickly or zig-zags. He then swivels his foot towards the target and drives off his plant foot, generating an absurd amount of power. His kicking knee then makes a straight upward trajectory towards his own chin, ensuring the nasty downspin and dip.
The Cristiano Ronaldo Tomahawk technique. Photo: @AS | Twitter
The kicking foot lands first, and all hell breaks loose for the goalkeeper. While watching Ronaldo’s tomahawk free kicks fly into the corner is a wonder to behold, Ronaldo also utilizes this technique in a way that no one comes close to.
Many times, he’ll intentionally place the ball at a fixed point in front of the keeper, knowing that the unpredictable and furious bounce will make it even harder to deal with from certain angles. This is how he got his 70th international goal.
History for Ronaldo! @Cristiano becomes just the 3rd European with 70 int'l goals (Ferenc Puskás & Miro Klose). #WCQ https://t.co/9ggCEIPi3d
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 25, 2017
Just take a look at these other examples of the tomahawk bounce in action:
That's an insane track record of pulling off something that no one ever thought would be a good idea until he came along. Enjoy him now because he’s a once in a lifetime player.
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