Cristiano Ronaldo's big forgotten goal ruined by no goal-line tech

Alongside Frank Lampard, Cristiano Ronaldo has to be one of the greatest defenders of goal-line technology.

Ronaldo scored 115 goals for Portugal, making him the all-time top scorer in international football history.

However, he is never satisfied with what he already has and will no doubt argue that he should have at least three other goals for his country.

During Portugal's 2022 World Cup qualifier against Serbia last March, Ronaldo was furious after he was controversially denied a last-minute winner.

The 36-year-old had every right to feel aggrieved given that the ball did indeed cross the line, but the lack of goal-line technology in place at the Rajko Mitic Stadium meant Serbia got a reprieve.

"I give and will always give everything for my country, that will never change," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram after the 2-2 draw.

“But there are tough times to deal with, especially when you feel like an entire nation is hurting. We will hold our heads up high and take on the next challenge now.”

Ronaldo probably had a sense of déjà vu as it wasn't the first time he had been disallowed an international goal due to a lack of goal-line technology. It didn't happen once, but twice.

In November 2010, Portugal won a memorable 4-0 victory over Spain and Ronaldo 'scored' a superb individual goal against his country's bitter rivals.

With the scores tied at 0-0 in the first half, he sent Gerard Pique into the stores with brilliant skill before winning the ball over Iker Casillas.

It was intended for the back of the net, but Nani, who obviously hadn't read the script, then nodded the ball from an offside position to deny his teammate a memorable strike.

Ronaldo did throw his toys out of the pram and later argued that the ball had crossed the line before Nani's touch, meaning the goal should have stood.

"I don't understand, even a blind man could see it was a goal. The ball was half a meter in the net," Ronaldo told Marca after the game.

"I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but my best goals with the national team are disallowed. I remember a header at the Bessa stadium that wasn't given. "

Which brings us nicely to goal number three disallowed…

Scoring outstanding goals has been a hallmark of Ronaldo's illustrious career, from that free-kick against Portsmouth to his long-range strike against Porto.

After seeing his past and present teammates score some great overhead kicks, the striker then produced his own acrobatic effort in April 2018, leaping high to hit a Incredible effort past a helpless Gigi Buffon in Real Madrid's 3-0 win. on Juventus.

"If you ask me to pick [a favourite], I would say the goal against Juventus because it's a goal I've been trying to score for years," Ronaldo told France Football in 2019.< /p>

However, it was not the first time that Ronaldo had pulled off such a ridiculous attempt.

During Portugal's Euro 2008 qualifier against Azerbaijan in October 2006, Ronaldo appeared to have scored what would have been one of his best international goals.

Having already scored the game's first goal, he tossed the ball to himself in the 25th minute before executing a superb bicycle kick that left the goalkeeper rooted to the spot.

Ronaldo's goal is our favorite type of goal. After all, it's a bicycle kick that bounces off the bar. What more could you want?

There was only one problem: the goal was not given.

The referee and linesman failed to notice the ball had crossed the line, prompting strong protests from the Portugal team and their supporters.

Unfortunately for Ronaldo, the goal-line technology was still six years away from being approved by the International Football Association Board.

The decision didn't end up being costly as Portugal took a 3-0 win, but it did mean the forward ended the game with a brace instead of his first career hat-trick.

While Ronal...