Ronaldo's debut-double sends Alaves spinning
Ronaldo has come off the bench to make a dramatic Real Madrid debut, scoring his first goal within 60 seconds and adding a second 14 minutes later to help his side to a 5-2 win over a bewildered Alaves.
Ronaldo has come off the bench to make a dramatic Real Madrid debut, scoring his first goal within 60 seconds and adding a second 14 minutes later to help his side to a 5-2 win over a bewildered Alaves.
The Brazilian, playing his first competitive match since scoring twice in the World Cup final win over Germany, came close to capping his comeback with a hat-trick only for his low right-foot shot to speed narrowly wide.
As the whistle blew a few seconds later, Ronaldo walked off to a standing ovation from an ecstatic 75,000-strong full house at the Bernabeu.
It was a remarkable return for the 26-year-old striker, who was beset by minor injuries after his 45 million euro move from Inter Milan.
Real fans roared their approval as their new hero trotted out to replace Javier Portillo after 64 minutes with Real struggling to hold on to a 2-1 lead.
Alaves had been trailing 2-0 to a stunning Zinedine Zidane strike and a Luis Figo penalty but the Basque side had reduced the arrears through Magno Mocelin and Ivan Alonso had just missed a penalty.
The introduction of Ronaldo immediately brought an end to all Alaves resistance, though, as the Brazilian put weeks of injury frustration behind him in stunning style.
A minute after his introduction, Roberto Carlos, his colleague in the World Cup winning Brazilian side, floated over a cross that evaded two Alaves defenders.
Ronaldo, finding himself unmarked, leant back to control the ball on his chest before smashing past advancing keeper Richard Dutruel and running back to be mobbed by his team mates.
His second goal, which came after Figo had added his second to make it 4-1, was less spectacular but equally well received.
Steve McManaman was the architect this time, the England midfielder finding Ronaldo in space with a deft angled pass and leaving the Brazilian to do the rest with a well directed right-foot shot.
Deep in injury time, a few minutes after Alonso had pulled a goal back for Alaves, Ronaldo found himself unmarked once again on the left of the area but this time his finish was a metre or so wide of the target.