• Anthony Joshua has been accused by a rape charity of "trivializing" sexual violence after he labelled Cristiano Ronaldo as one of his heroes.
• Ronaldo was accused last year of a 2009 rape, a claim he has denied.
• Joshua said Ronaldo has been "f-----" by "women and tax" but he continues to smile and continues to be strong.
• Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 soccer season right here.

Anthony Joshua has been accused of "trivializing" rape after he called Cristiano Ronaldo one of his sporting heroes because of the way he smiles through off-field issues involving women or tax.

Last year, a 34-year-old woman accused Ronaldo of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. Ronaldo has denied the allegation, but Las Vegas police issued a warrant for his DNA in January.

Read more: The mother of the 34-year-old accusing Cristiano Ronaldo of rape says her daughter would 'completely disintegrate' when she saw him on a billboard after the alleged attack

Since then, Ronaldo denied claims from a different woman, who called herself his ex-girlfriend, that he is a psychopath and a liar.

The Juventus striker has also been forced to turn up to court to settle a fine regarding tax fraud. The Portuguese soccer player was seen smiling and signing autographs after accepting a $22 million fine and two-year suspended jail term earlier in the year.

It is this quality of Ronaldo's — smiling in the face of apparent adversity — that has led the world heavyweight champion boxer Joshua to label the athlete a hero.

"I've always said two things you'd get f----- for as an athlete is women and tax, he's got f----- for both and he's still smiling, still strong," Joshua said at a promotional event ahead of his June fight against Jarrell Miller, according to the The Telegraph.

"You need mental strength, he's proved that. He's a family man, he's got that aspect, but still out working and he's dedicated to what he does. So as a sportsman he's had the issues of one side, he's got the family on the other side, and he balances what he's passionate about. He completes all the packages, so I like Ronaldo for that reason."

Joshua's comments have attracted criticism from the British charity Rape Crisis, which seeks to raise awareness of sexual violence.

According to The Telegraph, the charity's spokeswoman Katie Russell said it is "inappropriate, insensitive and disrespectful to make jokes or flippant remarks about allegations or instances of sexual violence and abuse in any context."

Russell added that those in the public eye, including athletes who may be role models, "have a particular responsibility not to trivialize such serious issues.

"Experiences of sexual violence and abuse can have wide-ranging and long-term impacts on victims’ and survivors’ health, lives, and relationships. As a society, we need to develop more empathy and understanding about that if we are ever to see more of those impacted by sexual violence and abuse get the support they need, want, and deserve."

Joshua met Ronaldo when he was on vacation in Dubai in January.

He posted a photo of the encounter to his Instagram account:

SEE ALSO: Cristiano Ronaldo's dream of winning the Champions League this season is in disarray, and he got really petty about it

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UP NEXT: Research shows that Neymar buckles under the same type of pressure Cristiano Ronaldo thrives on

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• Cristiano Ronaldo, the king of the UEFA Champions League, is losing his crown.
• The 34-year-old striker has won the tournament five times and was signed by Juventus to help them conquer Europe this season.
• But Ronaldo has performed poorly against the Champions League elite this year, and Juventus is trailing 2-0 ahead of a critical Round of 16 second leg against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
• Business Insider has produced five charts that highlight Ronaldo's plight from a once-great player in Europe to an average one as he struggles to make an impact in the 2018-2019 season.
• Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 soccer season right here.

Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time UEFA Champions League winner, is losing his crown as the king of Europe.

Juventus signed the striker to help the team conquer the competition, but all he has done is return truly awful performances for the Turin club.

Ronaldo is an athlete in rapid decline, and we've got the charts to prove it.

Sure, he's lit up Serie A since his arrival in Italy, is second in the division's top scorer charts, joint top of the assist leaderboard, and appears set to win a Scudetto in his debut season in the country. At the time of writing, Juventus is first in Serie A with 75 points after 27 games played — an 18-point lead over its closest rival, Napoli, in second place with 57.

It took a while for Ronaldo to get started this season, though. He failed to score in his first three league appearances and attracted the most unwanted statistic in European soccer — he had taken the most shots (23) without scoring than any other player in Europe's top five leagues. It was so bad, Ronaldo's own 9-year-old son was outscoring him for a Juventus youth team. But by his fourth game, just two months after transferring from Real Madrid in a $129.3 million deal, Ronaldo shrugged off the drought and tallied nine goals and four assists in his next 10 outings.

Ronaldo isn't doing in the Champions League what he's done in the past.

Ronaldo's first goal in the Italian competition may have been an uninspiring point-blank poke, capitalizing on an unforced defensive error during a September match against Sassuolo, but he has since scored a thunderous goal at AC Milan, as well as an outrageous header after a perfectly-timed run to scoop his first trophy of the year. He remains one of the focal players according to research that shows he is completely unaffected by in-game pressure— something his peers, like Neymar, succumb to.

But league football alone does not tell the full story when it comes to Ronaldo's performance level.

In the UEFA Champions League, a competition Juventus is paying Ronaldo to help them win, he has been strictly average — and it has not gone unnoticed by the soccer industry.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo's dream of winning the Champions League this season is in disarray, and he got really petty about it

"Cristiano Ronaldo's powers are in retreat," an Independent headline read this week — words that echo the 54-year-old coach Roberto Mancini, current boss of Italy's national team.

"He's doing well in Serie A… he's having a good season," Mancini said last month, according to Goal.com. However, Mancini added that "Ronaldo isn't doing in the Champions League what he's done in the past."

His form in world soccer's biggest club-level competition has waned — and five charts show how truly awful he has been in the Champions League this year.

1: Ronaldo's strike efficiency is down

Aside from a stunning volley in November, Ronaldo has rarely been directly involved in a Champions League goal this season. He has affected the scoreline (scored or created a goal) only once for every 160 minutes he has played, which is a sharp decline from five years ago when he was responsible for a goal or an assist every 47 minutes. That's down from almost two per game, to one almost every two games. Over five years ago he was four times more effective in front of the goal than he is today.

There's no other way around it — this is bad. The decline is real, but only becoming common knowledge this season. This is because Ronaldo was previously generating headlines for producing exceptional performances in the tournament's biggest games — the knockout rounds — and this seemingly masked the year-on-year diminishing of his overall powers.

His total goals in the 2016 (16), 2017 (12), and 2018 (15) tournaments massively contributed to Real Madrid's successes, as the team won back-to-back-to-back Champions League trophies. His ability to perform well in the latter stages was in stark contrast to his main rival, Lionel Messi at FC Barcelona, who has not scored in a big game — a match beyond the group stages — since 2015. Ronaldo, since Messi's two goals against Bayern that year, has scored 11 quarterfinal goals, three semifinal goals, and two goals in the final.

Read more: We analysed who the better big-game player is, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi — and the stats show the winner is clear

Possessing a goalscoring pedigree when it mattered most made the media overlook the fact he was advancing in years and slowing down. But now that he is failing to push Juventus through European matches with as much ease as he was with Real, attention has been drawn to why: he's no longer as great as he once was. His one goal and two assists this European season are testament to that, but this is not the only statistic that highlights his struggles.

2: The quality of Ronaldo's shots is poor compared to yesteryear

When looking at the quality and accuracy of his shots, it is clear that one of the reasons he is failing to score with as much frequency as he has in the past is because he cannot hit the target with as much regularity as he did for Real Madrid just five years ago.

In the the 2013-2014 season, Ronaldo hit the target with 38 shots of the 76 he attempted. This is a 50% accuracy, works out as one shot for every 13 minutes he played, and one shot on target for every 26 minutes. Working on averages, that's between three and four shots on target for every game played. All of those on-target shots will have yielded one of two results: a save, or a goal.

As the previous chart shows, Ronaldo scored 17 goals that season. That's almost one goal for every two shots on target — an excellent success rate, but a rate he has failed to hit ever since, this season more than ever.

In the 2018-2019 campaign, Ronaldo has hit the target with just eight shots of the 35 he attempted — 22% accuracy. He is less than half as accurate with his shots this season than he was over five years ago. He is still taking a shot once every 13 minutes, but he is only hitting the target every 59 minutes. That is, on average, little more than just once per game. It is little wonder he has only scored once this season in Europe, so far.

3: Ronaldo is on the ball less, and not passing as frequently

While Ronaldo is providing more key chances on a per-game basis than he did at Real over the last five years, tallying one goal-scoring opportunity for his teammates every 36 minutes this season compared to once every 45 minutes in the 2013-2014 season, his average amount of passes per European game is shockingly low.

An average of 27.3 passes per game is lower than any of the striker's last five years at Real. At his current rate of decline, Ronaldo will be managing just 21.7 passes per game in 2022 — the year his Juventus contract is set to expire. If he is only managing to attempt one pass for every 4.1 minutes he is on the pitch, he will find himself more isolated and increasingly unable to affect games like he was able to do with ease in his prime.

4: His control is getting worse

Ronaldo's technique may also be deteriorating. Data website Whoscored.com tracks the amount of bad controls — miscontrols of the football, or the times the player loses the ball entirely — each player tallies on a per-game basis, and Ronaldo's stats are trending downwards.

Last season with Real Madrid, Ronaldo was only guilty of 1.3 bad controls per game. Errors, if you will. But he has made almost twice as many errors this season, with 2.5.

5: His average match performance score has dropped significantly

Whoscored.com also grades players on a game-by-game basis. It ranks them on relevant data for their position. For Ronaldo, this includes dribbles, chances created, shots, and, of course, goals. The site then provides overall seasonal rankings. Taking into account Champions League appearances only, Ronaldo scored an excellent 8.7/10 match performance for the 2013-2014 season, and 8.1/10 for each of the seasons from 2015-2018 when Real won a hat-trick of Champions League trophies.

But now Ronaldo is riding a forgettable and unremarkable average of 7.1 when competing against the elite in European soccer. The ranking was pulled lower because of the red card he received just 29 minutes into his first ever Champions League appearance for Juve back in September last year, but he has not once scored higher than a 7.62.

It is a decline of 18.1% in five years, and could mean Ronaldo scores as low as 6.85 next year, or 6.35 when he is in the final year of his Juventus contract. These are sub-par scores.

Ronaldo is clearly past his prime

As Ronaldo is 34, it should come as no surprise that he is past his prime as a professional athlete.

But there is a saying in other sports, combat sports in particular, that every great fighter has one last great fight in them. Nobody perhaps encapsulated this more than "Sugar Ray" Robinson, arguably the greatest boxer of all time, when he returned to the ring in 1955 after a three-year retirement to regain the world middleweight title in 1957 before finally calling it quits for good in 1965.

Ronaldo, frequently seen as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, will need to roll back the years if he is to do what he was signed by Juventus to do on Tuesday, as the Italians attempt to beat Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16.

Ronaldo was largely ineffective in the first leg last month, as he hit seven shots but walked off the pitch with no goals. Juventus was beaten 2-0 and surrendered the advantage to Atletico ahead of Tuesday evening's second leg in Turin, Italy.

Whether it's his age or distractions off the pitch — he's been accused of rape, allegations which he denies, and has also faced tax charges which he laughed off and paid— Ronaldo is a shadow of his former self, and only has one real chance left to prove the doubters wrong and show that his declining statistics are a mere blip.

Read more: The mother of the 34-year-old accusing Cristiano Ronaldo of rape says her daughter would 'completely disintegrate' when she saw him on a billboard after the alleged attack

But should he fail to score again against Atletico, reinforcing the trends seen above, it proves one thing: Ronaldo the great is no more, replaced, perhaps forever, by Ronaldo the average.

SEE ALSO: Cristiano Ronaldo's dream of winning the Champions League this season is in disarray, and he got really petty about it

DON'T MISS: Cristiano Ronaldo smiled and signed autographs after accepting a $22 million fine and 2-year suspended jail term over tax fraud

UP NEXT: Research shows that Neymar buckles under the same type of pressure Cristiano Ronaldo thrives on

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• Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning hat trick to send Juventus into the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal.
• Juventus beat Atletico Madrid 3-0 on Tuesday, and the result was enough to overcome a 2-0 deficit from the first leg last month.
• You can watch Ronaldo's goals below.
• Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-19 soccer season right here.

Before a ball had even been kicked in Tuesday's critical UEFA Champions League match, Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly promised friends and family that he would score three goals and send Juventus into the quarterfinal stage of the competition.

Anything less may not have been enough. Last month, in the round of 16 first leg against Atletico Madrid, Juventus lost 2-0, surrendering the advantage to the Spanish team.

The Atleti defenders Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin each scored a goal and kept the rearguard tight enough to frustrate Juventus all night long. Even Ronaldo, who has thrived in the big games in Europe over the years, left the field with no goals after taking seven shots. The defeat in February left Juventus with it all to do in the second leg on Tuesday.

Ronaldo even attracted media scrutiny in the buildup to the game. The Independent said "Cristiano Ronaldo's powers are in retreat." The Italy national soccer team coach Roberto Mancini said he "isn't doing in the Champions League what he's done in the past." And Business Insider even put together five charts that showed how truly awful the 34-year-old had been this season when compared with his incredible performance level in previous years.

Read more: 5 charts that show how truly awful Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the Champions League this year

But Ronaldo shrugged off the criticism and produced his best game of the season. He scored either side of the half and provided a constant attacking threat against a seemingly wilting Atletico team.

This was Ronaldo at his best. He played with pace and with attitude, and he even leaped high into the air to power an incredible header into the net for the first score of the night in the 27th minute of the knockout match.

Watch the goal right here:

Or here if you are in a different region:

He grabbed his second shortly after half-time in the 49th minute, when another header was ruled to have gone over the line. The Juventus fans went apoplectic in the crowd as Ronaldo — the team's $129.3 million signing from last summer and the man the club got specifically to win games just like this — single-handedly brought the team back from the brink of defeat and was just one goal away from securing a stunning victory.

That third and final goal arrived in the 86th minute, when Juventus was awarded a late penalty. And there was only one man who would take the kick.

Ronaldo stepped up to the spot and kept his cool, as he has frequently done over the years, when he shot the winning goal into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 3-0 — job done. He even made it look easy.

Watch the penalty right here:

Or here if you're in a different region:

After the game, Ronaldo was reportedly told on Sky Italia that Juventus had never, in its entire history, secured a comeback win like it had on Tuesday.

"Maybe that's why they signed me," was his reply, according to the Corriere dello Sport, The Times, and ESPN journalist Gabriele Marcotti.

SEE ALSO: 5 charts that show how truly awful Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the Champions League this year

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• Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick against Atlético Madrid has sent Juventus' shares up 17%.
• Ronaldo's three goals for Juventus meant the Italian club overturned a two-goal deficit and secured passage to the last eight of the Champions League.
• Juventus shares fell 11% after the first-leg defeat, but have rallied on the unlikely victory sending the club into the quarter finals. 

Cristiano Ronaldo jumped to score two of his three goals against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday night, overturning a two-goal deficit to secure Juventus's passage into the quarter finals of the Champions League.

Shares in Juventus have followed the forward's example, soaring 17% on the unlikely revival of the Italian soccer team's fortunes.

The Portuguese striker may be past his prime, but he successfully snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in Turin. Similarly, shares in Juventus plunged 11% after the disappointing first leg against Atlético - as investors feared the team were out of Europe's premier club competition and would miss out on revenues from the later stages - only to rise again.

Juventus' comeback clearly shocked investors as well as viewers. The share-price jump may reflect market optimism that Ronaldo hasn't lost his touch, and can sell plenty more shirts for the club.

Shares in Juventus rose a massive 95% in the days after it signed Ronaldo last summer, lifted by hopes that the former Real Madrid man could fire the "Bianconeri" to Champions League success. Despite Ronaldo's improved form, they currently trade at €1.43 ($1.62), down from around €1.57 last September when his signing was announced.

The superstar's arrival at Italy's most successful domestic club was heralded as the team's ticket to winning the Champions League, having lost in five previous finals. According to reports, 520,000 shirts were sold in just 24 hours after his signing — approximately $62.4 million worth of trade. Juventus also recently sold €150 million of bonds ($169 million) to cash in on its new striker.

Ronaldo's hat-trick might be a flash in the pan, and Juventus could well crash out of the quarter-finals. But for now, investors and fans appear to be keeping the faith.

SEE ALSO: 5 charts that show how truly awful Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the Champions League this year

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• Lionel Messi reminded world soccer who was boss on Wednesday.
• The FC Barcelona forward scored two goals, created two, and showed off skill so good that it left one Olympique Lyonnais defender on the floor.
• Barça beat Lyon 5-1 at Camp Nou and booked its place in Friday's quarter-final draw, just one day after Cristiano Ronaldo attracted headlines for Tuesday's heroics against Atletico Madrid.
• For Ronaldo, it was his first excellent game of the European season. But for Messi it was just one of many incredible performances — and that is the difference between the two greats in 2019.
• Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 soccer season right here.

Lionel Messi was at his bamboozling best as FC Barcelona ran rampant over Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday, just one night after Cristiano Ronaldo rescued Juventus from European abyss with an impressive hat-trick.

Even Messi couldn't help but praise Juve and Ronaldo after Tuesday's performance. "Cristiano and Juventus were awesome,"the 31-year-old said, according to Goal.com. "It was a big surprise because I thought Atletico would be stronger, but Juventus overcame them and Cristiano had a magical night with three goals."

But anything Ronaldo the wizard can do, Lionel Messi the archmage can do better. The outrageously-skilled Barça forward cast a spell on the Lyon defence, scored twice, assisted twice, and led his team to a wondrous 5-1 win at Camp Nou in Spain.

It all started in the 17th minute when Barcelona was awarded a penalty, which Messi converted with a panenka kick. It was a move as cheeky as it was confident as the aggregate score of 0-0 meant that any miss could have proved costly should Lyon have gathered momentum. But Messi being Messi, the panenka was successful and Barcelona had its one goal lead — and it did not stop there.

Playmaking midfielder Philippe Coutinho doubled the team's advantage on the half-hour mark and, though Lucas Tousart pulled one back for Lyon in the 58th minute, Messi restored Barcelona's two-goal lead 12 minutes before full time.

It was here that Messi emphasized his finesse with the ball. This was the moment his dribbling skills duped two Lyon defenders, with Marcelo falling to the floor and being removed from the play entirely. All Marcelo could do slowly pick himself up from the grass and watch as Messi switched directions on him and teased his shot into the goal.

Watch the goal right here:

Or here if you are in a different region:

But even at 3-1 and with two goals to his name, Messi's night was not yet over as he went from goalscorer to goal creator when he set up Gerard Pique three minutes later and then Ousmane Dembele just before the final whistle.

Messi scored two goals from seven shots, attempted three dribbles, and provided three key chances (two of which were assists). His 68 pass attempts reflected his all-round game. He was a finisher of goals, a creator of them, and continually looked for ways to affect the scoreline and mercilessly attack Lyon even with the match already won.

There's a difference between Messi and Ronaldo

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo single-handedly brought Juventus back from the brink of defeat in stunning Champions League win over Atletico Madrid

Ronaldo's performance, meanwhile, was his greatest in the 2018-2019 UEFA Champions League season so far. But aside from an incredible volley scored against his former club Manchester United in the group stages, he had previously been awful when compared to his form in recent years.

At Real Madrid, Ronaldo was the king of Europe thanks to his goalscoring exploits in the knockout rounds, his highlight-reel finishes, and his back-to-back-to-back Champions League title wins in his final three seasons at the club.

But at Juve, Ronaldo's effectiveness in front of goal had diminished, his overall shot quality had waned, and he looked like an athlete in decline. Even including his hat-trick midweek, Ronaldo's striking efficiency is down from one goal scored or created every 47 minutes five seasons ago, to every 95 minutes this season.

Read more: 5 charts that show how truly awful Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the Champions League this year

The importance of that hat-trick against Atletico Madrid cannot be understated. Without it, Juventus would have been eliminated from this season's Champions League for good, and the master plan for 2019 — signing Ronaldo on a $129.3 million deal to help the club conquer Europe — would have been in complete dissarray.

Ronaldo scored two headers and held his nerve to convert a penalty kick into goal to earn a 3-0 win — and he made it look easy. Yes, his exploits in midweek attracted headlines, but Messi ensured that those headlines were only temporary.

For Ronaldo, this was his first excellent performance of the entire European season, but for Messi, it was one of many.

SEE ALSO: Cristiano Ronaldo single-handedly brought Juventus back from the brink of defeat in stunning Champions League win over Atletico Madrid

DON'T MISS: 5 factors suggest Real Madrid is months away from making Neymar the world's first player to generate $600 million in transfer fees alone

UP NEXT: 5 charts that show how truly awful Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the Champions League this year

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• The Champions League quarterfinals are set, with the eight remaining teams now knowing their competition for the next round.
• The quarterfinals offer some compelling pairings, but the best matches could be saved for the final depending on how the competition plays out.
• Ronaldo vs. Messi, Tottenham vs. Liverpool, and a Manchester Derby are all potential finals depending on which teams move through to the semifinal.

The Champions League quarterfinals are officially set.

After Friday's draw, football fans finally can visualize how the competition will play out, with the bracket and schedule set leading to the final in Madrid on June 1.

The quarterfinals offer four compelling pairings, but the juiciest matchups can be found in the final, and with a few bitter rivals currently on opposite sides of the bracket, things could shake out to set up an unforgettable match.

Take a look below as we break down the Champions League quarterfinal draw.

Here's the draw for the final eight teams remaining in Champions League:

The quarterfinal pairings are as follows:

Manchester City vs. Tottenham

Juventus vs. Ajax

Barcelona vs. Manchester United

Liverpool vs. Porto

The 2-leg quarterfinals will begin on April 9-10 and conclude the next week on April 16-17.

According to FiveThirtyEight's SPI, Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona, and Juventus are the favorites to advance to the semifinals.

Liverpool is the heaviest favorite to advance out of the quarterfinal over Porto, while the numbers say the most unpredictable pairing is between Juventus and Ajax, giving the slight edge to Cristiano Ronaldo and company.

As things stand, the bracket already offers some amazing football. In the quarterfinals, the most compelling matchup pits Tottenham against Man City.

Tottenham and Manchester City will play three times in less than two weeks, with a Premier League match set in between the two legs of their Champions League tie.

Through much of the Premier League season, it looked as though Spurs would challenge City and Liverpool atop the standings, but after a rough few weeks, Tottenham has fallen off the top of the table. Will Spurs be able to bounce back to spoil City after a disappointing stretch?

• Cristiano Ronaldo pulled Juventus back from the brink of a defeat against Atletico Madrid with a nerveless hat trick on Tuesday.
• Ronaldo would return incredible performances more often than not in previous seasons but this was Ronaldo's seventh Champions League match this year, and his first flawless performance.
• Even including his three goals this week, Ronaldo remains in long-term decline as he was twice as effective in front of goal five years ago than he is today.
• Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 soccer season right here.

Cristiano Ronaldo's heroic hat trick midweek doesn't change the fact that his game remains in long-term decline.

The striker rescued Juventus from European abyss when he brought the Italians back from the brink of defeat, overturning a 2-0 deficit to Atletico Madrid last month by scoring all three goals in the 3-0 win in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash on Tuesday.

It was the first time Ronaldo had enjoyed a truly great European performance this season, having otherwise been substandard when compared to his ferocious best in previous campaigns.

Yes, Tuesday was the first time Ronaldo had enjoyed a flawless, multi-goal, winning game despite making his seventh appearance in the competition this season.

Compare this to previous years, and you'll still see a clear downward trend.

In 2013-2014 he scored nine goals in the group stage, four in the Round of 16, once in the quarter-final, twice in the semis, and then once again in the final, against Atletico.

In the 2015-2016 season he tallied an incredible 11 goals in the group stage, two in the Round of 16, and a crucial three in the quarter-finals to send Real through to the semis, and then the final.

Though he was only able to score twice in the groups in the 2016-2017 season, he ran rampant with five goals in the Bayern Munich quarter-final slaughter, scored a hat trick in the semis, and scored twice in the final against Juventus.

Last year he was also extraordinary as he scored in every game of the group stage, both legs of the Round of 16, and both legs of the quarter-final.

In all of those four campaigns, Real Madrid benefitted from Ronaldo's exploits in front of goal as the team scooped each and every Champions League title.

In those seasons he frequently enjoyed big games on the big occasions, not just one great game in seven like he has returned so far this year.

Even including the three goals against Atletico it is still clear Ronaldo's effectiveness is waning year-on-year.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo single-handedly brought Juventus back from the brink of defeat in stunning Champions League win over Atletico Madrid

Just look at the chart below — he was twice as effective five years ago as he is now.

In 2013-2014 he was responsible for scoring or creating one goal for every 47 minutes he played on average. But now that has dropped to one goal scored or created for every 95 minutes he has played. This is still a decent record, but it pales in comparison to when he was in his prime.

The quality of his shots has also deteriorated even when you factor in his three goals from five shots attempted in Turin on Tuesday.

In the 2013-2014 European season Ronaldo tested the goalkeeper with a shot on target every 26 minutes on average. And, as you can see in the chart below, this has declined every year until we get to the most recent season — this season — where he has only been hitting the target once for every 51 minutes he has been playing.

Again, this shows he was twice as effective five years ago as he is right now.

Ronaldo, of course, is five years older than he was that season.

He's 34 years old and with Juventus having drawn Ajax in the Champions League quarter-final, Ronaldo has an excellent chance to buck this season's trend and fire the Italians through to the next round, where the team will then face the winner of the Manchester City versus Tottenham Hotspur quarter-final.

Ajax has conceded eight times this season and has already faced tough opposition like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. It held Bayern to a 1-1 draw in Germany in the group stage, and beat Real 4-1 in Spain earlier this month.

It also possesses some of the most exciting young talents in world soccer on its roster, like the 21-year-old defensive-minded player Frenkie de Jong, the 19-year-old center back Matthijs de Ligt, and the 21-year-old forward Kasper Dolberg.

The more experienced stars like Hakim Ziyech, Dusan Tadic, and Daley Blind have also impressed but Ajax is by no means error-free and is weak at defending counters and limiting the opposition team's chance creation.

This means Ronaldo will almost certainly have shots on goal. But the true test of his skill set, at 34, will be whether he can make those chances count like he did in previous years, or whether he squanders the opportunity like he has done, at times, this season.

He will be 35 next year, in an athletic state of more decline, and may not get a better chance to win one more Champions League trophy than he will this year. But only time will tell whether he takes his chances.

Juventus plays the first leg of the quarter-final against Ajax in Amsterdam on April 10, ahead of the second leg in Turin on April 16.

SEE ALSO: 2 goals, 2 assists, and a defender on the floor: How Messi one-upped Ronaldo during an elite week of Champions League soccer

DON'T MISS: Cristiano Ronaldo single-handedly brought Juventus back from the brink of defeat in stunning Champions League win over Atletico Madrid

UP NEXT: 5 charts that show how truly awful Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the Champions League this year

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• Cristiano Ronaldo inspires Conor McGregor.
• The UFC fighter marveled at the way the Juventus striker pulled his team back from the brink of defeat against Atletico Madrid, to eliminate the Spanish side by scoring all three goals in the 3-2 aggregate win last week.
• McGregor said the victory will have been made even sweeter because Atletico is "one of the best defensive sides in Europe."
• Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 soccer season right here.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been praised by UFC fighter Conor McGregor for the way he scored a hat trick for Juventus when the "pressure was on for all the marbles" in the UEFA Champions League last week.

The Juventus striker met McGregor at Jennifer Lopez's birthday party in Nobu Villa Atop Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas in July 2016.

They liked each other so much Ronaldo turned up at an MMA gym to work out with the Irishman weeks later. McGregor even posted a photograph of them, shirtless and sweaty, on his Instagram account and called Ronaldo an "animal" in the caption.

Read more: Anthony Joshua has been accused of 'trivializing' rape after saying Cristiano Ronaldo is a hero because he's been 'f-----' by women but is still smiling

In an interview with FIFA on Tuesday, McGregor elaborated on what he likes about the soccer player. "Cristiano is a phenomenal athlete, person, and entrepreneur," he said. "His all-around discipline, perfectionist attitude, and dedication to his craft is inspiring and has inspired so many young children to play football."

Ronaldo was in the headlines recently for the way he brought Juventus back from the brink of defeat in a stunning Champions League win over Atletico Madrid.

Juve was 2-0 down in the first leg of its Round of 16 clash against Atletico in February, but with Ronaldo on the team it bounced back last week, won 3-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate. Juventus eliminated Atletico because of Ronaldo's heroics, and it is now in the quarter-final against Ajax.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo single-handedly brought Juventus back from the brink of defeat in stunning Champions League win over Atletico Madrid

"Just look what he did recently in the Champions League, at 34 years young, a hat-trick under the lights when the pressure was on for all the marbles. And against Atletico Madrid, one of the best defensive sides in Europe.

"That is inspiring! We are both disciplined athletes at the top of our game."

Juventus is not in action until later in the month when it hosts Empoli in a Serie A match on March 30. McGregor, meanwhile, is free to fight from April 6 once he has served a Nevada State Athletic Commission suspension for the role he played in the post-fight brawls that marred his UFC 229 loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

It is not yet clear who McGregor will fight in his return to the UFC Octagon.

SEE ALSO: Anthony Joshua has been accused of 'trivializing' rape after saying Cristiano Ronaldo is a hero because he's been 'f-----' by women but is still smiling

DON'T MISS: Cristiano Ronaldo's heroic hat trick doesn't change the fact that his game remains in long-term decline

UP NEXT: Sylvester Stallone says the UFC is worried about Conor McGregor after the Irishman got 'publicly humiliated'

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• Cristiano Ronaldo has been charged with improper conduct by UEFA after his crotch-grabbing celebration in a Champions League match last week.
• The second-leg tie between Juventus and Atletico Madrid saw Ronaldo bring the Italian side back from the brink of defeat via a stunning hattrick.
• After scoring, Ronaldo was seen thrusting his hips forward and grabbing his crotch, a gesture that was likely mocking the Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone.
• Simeone celebrated in the same way after his club's victory in the first leg — a move that saw him fined £17,000 ($22,600).
• UEFA will rule on Ronaldo's improper conduct case on March 21.

Cristiano Ronaldo single-handedly brought Juventus back from the brink of defeat in a stunning Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday last week.

The soccer star wrenched the Italian side back from a 2-0 deficit via a masterful hattrick, sending his team into the quarterfinals where they will face Dutch side Ajax.

Naturally, Ronaldo was keen to celebrate his goals — especially after the media scrutiny he faced in the build-up to the game. But the way in which he did so has not sat well with the Champions League organisers, UEFA, who have charged the player with improper conduct.

Read more: 5 charts that show how truly awful Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the Champions League this year

After scoring, Ronaldo was seen thrusting his hips forward and grabbing his crotch, a gesture that was likely a mocking nod to the Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone who celebrated in the same manner after his club's win in the first leg.

Here is the moment for viewers in the US:

Simeone was fined £17,000 ($22,600) for the "obscene" gesture, and later apologized.

Simeone explained to Sky Sports: "It means we have balls, a lot of balls. To start (Diego) Costa and Koke after they hadn't played for a month takes balls.

"I did it as a player at Lazio and Bologna and I did it again to show our fans that we have 'cojones.'

"It wasn't aimed at the other team, I was turning towards our own supporters. It's not a nice gesture, I'll admit, but I felt the need to do it.

"It was such a tough game, we fought so hard and Diego Costa worked really hard when he wasn't 100% fit.

"I had to show what I was feeling. I can only apologise if anyone was offended, but I did it from the heart."

UEFA will rule on Ronaldo's improper conduct case on March 21.

SEE ALSO: Conor McGregor praised 'inspiring' Cristiano Ronaldo, saying: 'We are both disciplined athletes at the top of our game'

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NOW WATCH: Meet the stylist who turned LeBron James into a fashion icon

• Cristiano Ronaldo recently signed a Real Madrid jersey for a young fan.
• The Juventus FC striker, currently on international duty with the Portugal national soccer team, went for a walk with his teammates over the weekend and found himself mobbed by admirers.
• One fan asked him to sign his jersey for him. The only problem? It was a Real kit.
• Ronaldo joked that the young fan needed a Juventus jersey but put his signature to the Real shirt anyway.
• Portugal and Ronaldo are next in action on Monday, in a second qualifying match for the UEFA Euro 2020 championships.
• Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 soccer season right here.

Cristiano Ronaldo signed a Real Madrid jersey for a young fan even though it was the wrong kit.

The 34-year-old famously left Real to join Juventus in a $130 million deal last summer. Though it took him a few matches to find his scoring boots, he eventually hit the target and continues to wow Italian crowds to this day as he is currently the second top Serie A goalscorer.

He won his first trophy with Juventus earlier this year and brought the team back from the brink of defeat with a stunning hat trick that eliminated Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 this month.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo's heroic hat trick doesn't change the fact that his game remains in long-term decline

Club soccer has been temporarily paused because of the international break and Ronaldo joined his Portugal national teammates for Friday's 0-0 draw against Ukraine.

The next day, Ronaldo went for a walk with the team and got surrounded by young fans. One of them had a Real jersey and was desperate for the Juventus striker to sign it even though it was the wrong kit.

"You don't have the Juventus one yet?" He said, according to MARCA. The young fan said that he did. "I just didn't bring it with me."

Of course, Ronaldo signed the jersey. "You need to have the Juventus kit now," he said with a smile.

Watch the exchange below:

Ronaldo is next in action on Monday, when Portugal take on Serbia in a second UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying game.

Though it would be the wrong kit, there will probably be at least one young fan out there watching Ronaldo with his national team, while wearing his Real jersey.

SEE ALSO: Cristiano Ronaldo's heroic hat trick doesn't change the fact that his game remains in long-term decline

DON'T MISS: Conor McGregor praised 'inspiring' Cristiano Ronaldo, saying: 'We are both disciplined athletes at the top of our game'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explains why the NCAA should pay college athletes

• Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of rape, an allegation he has repeatedly denied.
• The Juventus star met his accuser Kathryn Mayorga at a Las Vegas nightclub in 2009. She claims he sexually assaulted her in a penthouse hours later.
• Mayorga reported an incident to police the next day, took a rape kit in a local hospital, and says she felt "sick and confused" in the following days.
• Ronaldo's lawyer has confirmed a sexual encounter occurred that night but said it was "consensual."
• Las Vegas police have reopened their investigation and Juventus is reportedly avoiding organizing off-season matches in the United States in case Ronaldo is detained by authorities.
• Here's a timeline of everything we know so far.

It all began in 2009, when soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo met Kathryn Mayorga in a Las Vegas nightclub. A decade later, the chance meeting is still following Ronaldo, who stands accused of rape by Mayorga.

In recent months, a warrant has been issued for his DNA, Mayorga has filed a lawsuit, and police have reopened her sexual assault case.

Recent reports also suggest that the club Ronaldo plays for, Juventus FC, is refusing to organize off-season matches in the US in case he is detained in the country.

As Ronaldo winds down the latter part of his career, we've put together a timeline of everything we know about the rape allegations so far.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo has 'firmly' denied the rape allegations being made against him — and says he refuses to 'feed the media spectacle'

June 12, 2009 — Ronaldo meets Kathryn Mayorga

Mayorga meets Ronaldo in the VIP section of the nightclub Rain at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the same summer Ronaldo left Manchester United for Real Madrid in what was a world-record soccer transfer at that time.

Mayorga, then 25 years old, says she talked with Ronaldo during the evening, then went to his $1,000-per-night penthouse at the Hotel Palms Place, where she alleges Ronaldo sexually assaulted her.

June 13, 2009 — Mayorga reports rape to police

The German publication Der Spiegel says "there is a recording of Mayorga's call to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department" at 2.16. p.m. on June 13.

A "computer-aided dispatch," also known as a CAD report, is drawn up which lists the number 426 — a code for sexual offences. The officer who spoke to Mayorga noted in the report that the caller was upset, said the alleged perpetrator was an "athlete," but wouldn't provide the name.

Within 14 minutes, police arrived at Mayorga's home and, with her permission, brought her to the University Medical Center for a rape kit examination later in the afternoon.

The following weeks — Mayorga felt "sick and confused"

In the following days, Mayorga told Der Spiegel she "felt sick and confused," adding: "I still had no emotion. Through this whole thing… it took me three months to cry."

Weeks later, after hiring a lawyer from a friend's recommendation, Mayorga names Ronaldo as the alleged attacker and an officer visits Mayorga to record a statement. She later requests the officer does not do anything with the statement. Spiegel said this is because "she wasn't emotionally stable."

By the end of June, "several lawyers" are involved in the case. Ronaldo is made aware of it through his Portuguese lawyer Carlos Osorio de Castro.

Around this time, a list of hundreds of questions was drawn up and sent to Ronaldo, his brother-in-law, and his cousin, according to Spiegel. Ronaldo is referred to as "X" in the document and Mayorga as "Ms. C."

September 2009 — "She said no and stop several times"

An early version of the questionnaire, shared via email in September 2009 among Ronaldo's legal representatives, included a question as to whether "Ms. C" ever screamed. Spiegel reports that "X" said: "She said no and stop several times."

Read more: The mother of the 34-year-old accusing Cristiano Ronaldo of rape says her daughter would 'completely disintegrate' when she saw him on a billboard after the alleged attack

Also in this version of the questionnaire, "X" reportedly said: "I entered her from behind. It was rude. We didn't change position. 5/7 minutes. She said that she didn't want to, but she made herself available."

The answer continued: "But she kept saying 'No.' 'Don't do it.' 'I'm not like the others.' I apologized afterwards."

December 2009 — Ronaldo speaks of consensual sex

Spiegel reports that, in a later version of the questionnaire from December, Ronaldo allegedly said the incident was consensual.

January 12, 2010 — Mayorga and Ronaldo reportedly agreed an NDA

Mayorga's legal representative and Ronaldo's attorneys reportedly sign an out-of-court settlement, according to Spiegel. Ronaldo, who was not present at the meeting, allegedly agreed to pay Mayorga $375,000. But this payment meant Mayorga could "never again speak about that night."

Years later — Mayorga "completely disintegrates" when she sees Ronaldo on billboards

Mayorga's mother provided details of what life was like in the aftermath of the alleged sexual assault, and claimed her daughter would "completely disintegrate" whenever she saw Ronaldo on a billboard.

Read more: The mother of the 34-year-old accusing Cristiano Ronaldo of rape says her daughter would 'completely disintegrate' when she saw him on a billboard after the alleged attack

"Every day, she lives it,"Cheryl Mayorga told Spiegel. "There were times when she would call me and his — he would be on a billboard or whatever, and she would just completely disintegrate. Having to walk into a store to get a pint of milk, and you've got his picture everywhere.

"He's the soccer god that everybody thinks is just perfect and flawless," Cheryl Mayorga said. "And she can't even get out of bed some days. It's just wrong. We're behind her 100%."

April 19, 2017 — Spiegel publishes "Cristiano Ronaldo's secret"

Spiegel publishes an exclusive feature called "Cristiano Ronaldo's secret," an article about an anonymous American woman who claims to have been raped by the soccer player.

It details a chance meeting in Las Vegas in June 12, 2009 and an alleged incident at a $1,000 per night room at the Palms Place Hotel. Spiegel says it possesses a copy of a letter from"Susan K." (later understood to be Mayorga) to Ronaldo, as well as "an out-of-court deal." The publication says "nobody" wanted to talk when it sought comment from Susan K., her family, and her friends.

The article then states that "he took her and put her on the bed," that she screamed "no," and that he "supposedly said 99% of the time he was a good guy but that he doesn't know what happened to that 1%."

The claims were dismissed by Ronaldo's legal representatives.

April 27, 2018 — Ronaldo's agent denies Spiegel's reports

Ronaldo's soccer agent Jorge Mendes dismisses the reports as "journalistic fiction," but Spiegel says it has "evidence" that Ronaldo knew about the negotiations with the American woman "Susan K."

September 29, 2018 — Mayorga waives right to anonymity

Mayorga goes public with her story in Spiegel.

Spiegel says Mayorga agreed to the $375,000 payoff "out of fear for herself and her family" and "out of impotence, the inability to stand up to him." Mayorga says that, in the #metoo era, she "always wondered" whether any other women "were sexually abused by Ronaldo."

That same day, Ronaldo's lawyers threatened to sue Spiegel for publishing "blatantly illegal" accusations from Mayorga, according to Reuters.

September 30, 2018 — Spiegel sports journalist responds

Christoph Winterbach, one of the Spiegel journalists responsible for the ongoing story, lifted the lid on Spiegel's journalistic practices and the extensive research and legal procedures articles like his are subject to in a Twitter thread.

He called Mayorga's former lawyer in 2009 "unexperienced," reiterated the publication's position that it had "signed documents" that were able to identify Ronaldo, and that the soccer player admitted Mayorga said "no" and "stop."

At this point, it is clear Mayorga is working with the attorney Leslie Mark Stovall of Stovall & Associates in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Stovall told Spiegel in its September 2018 article that their claim seeks to have the $375,000 settlement and "non-disclosure agreement declared void" because Mayorga was not "competent to enter into the agreement" due to "psychological injury."

He even said his client was still suffering from post-traumatic stress after undergoing an examination from a forensic psychologist earlier in the year.

October 1, 2018 — Mayorga files lawsuit against Ronaldo

USA Today reports that a lawsuit is filed against Ronaldo alleging a sexual assault in June 2009.

October 2, 2018 — Police reopen a sexual assault case

Las Vegas police reopen a sexual assault investigation, according to the BBC.

"At the time the report was taken, the victim did not provide detectives with the location of the incident or suspect description," a statement said. "The case has been reopened and our detectives are following up on information being provided."

Ronaldo posted an Instagram Live message where he called the allegations "fake news,"according to Sky.

"They wanna promote by my name, it's normal," he said. "They wanna be famous to say my name, yeah, but it's part of the job. I'm a happy man and all good."

October 3, 2018 — Ronaldo says "rape is an abominable crime"

Ronaldo posts a denial on Twitter saying the accusations are mere ploys for people to make themselves famous.

"I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me," he said. "Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense."

October 4, 2018 — Portugal dumps Ronaldo from its latest national team squad

Portugal says it stands in "total solidarity" with Cristiano Ronaldo over the rape accusations made against him — but excludes him from its national squad.

He played no part in the UEFA Nations League match against Poland or the international friendly against Scotland in October.

October 5, 2018 — Nike is "deeply concerned"

Nike, the massive sports retail company that has a $1 billion agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo, says it is "deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations" made against him.

EA Sports expresses similar alarm over the accusations, but Ronaldo receives support from his club, Juventus FC. He continues to represent Juventus in soccer matches.

"Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus,"the club said in a statement. "The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not change this opinion, which is shared by anyone who has come into contact with this great champion."

October 10, 2018 — Ronaldo's lawyer blames cybercriminals

Cristiano Ronaldo's lawyer in America, Peter S. Christiansen, releases a statement reiterating the player's denial of the rape allegations made against him.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo's lawyer says rape allegations are based on 'fabricated documents' that may have been sold to the media by a cyber criminal

Christiansen even says the allegations are based on "fabricated documents" which may have been sold to the media by a cybercriminal.

Ronaldo's position, according to Christiansen, is that what happened in 2009 was "completely consensual."

January 9, 2019 — Ronaldo's denies claim of psychological abuse from a second woman

Cristiano Ronaldo firmly denies accusations from a separate woman who said he was psychologically abusive to her.

Jasmine Lennard, who claims she dated Ronaldo in 2008, said he once told her that if she dated anyone else or left her house, he'd have her kidnapped and her body "cut up and put in a bag and thrown in a river."

Lennard said she had been in regular contact with the Juventus FC striker and that she wanted to help Kathryn Mayorga. Ronaldo denies all the allegations, and says he doesn't know Lennard.

January 10, 2019 — Las Vegas police issues warrant for Ronaldo's DNA

Las Vegas police say they want a sample of Cristiano Ronaldo's DNA so they can see whether it matches DNA found on Mayorga's dress in 2009.

Ronaldo's lawyer responds by saying the DNA warrant is a "very standard request." The lawyer adds that it would not be surprising to discover matching DNA because what occurred in 2009 was "consensual."

On the same day, Business Insider receives an email from Ronaldo's PR company to say he "has no specific recollection of meeting Ms Lennard 10 years ago or at any point. He has not had a relationship with her and he has not had any contact with her, whether in the last 18 months as Ms Lennard suggests, or otherwise."

The statement added: "Ronaldo will take appropriate legal action in due course."

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo denies claim from woman who says she is his ex-girlfriend that he's a psychopath and a liar

January 15, 2019 — Mayorga's lawyers contact Lennard

Mayorga's lawyers tell USA Today that they plan to meet Lennard, after the former "Big Brother" contestant accused Ronaldo of being a "psychopath" on Twitter.

Lennard made her social media statements saying she hoped her experiences helped Mayorga with her own case. Mayorga's lawyers spoke to Lennard on the phone and planned to meet Lennard and her attorney at a later date.

March 12, 2019 — ESPN suggests Ronaldo's lawyers may be employing delay tactics

ESPN attempted to doorstep Ronaldo's lawyers in Las Vegas but were turned away. Later in the article, ESPN suggests the soccer player's legal team's tactics may involve "running the clock."

EPSN says Mayorga's lawsuit against Ronaldo "has stalled" because he has not been served notice of the lawsuit. He reportedly has not authorized Christiansen, his American lawyer in Las Vegas, to accept the notice on his behalf. Christiansen hasn't replied to Business Insider's emails for comment.

Abed Awad, an international law expert, told ESPN that "a rich defendant can wear down a plaintiff with lesser means." Awad said: "It's a delaying tactic, and it's a calculated strategy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it backfires."

The ESPN article also says Stovall spoke to "a former girlfriend of Ronaldo's" who made claims about being "bullied and threatened by him. However, "after speaking with her, Stovall says he doesn't see a helpful connection" to the Mayorga case.

March 20, 2019 — Juventus avoids off-season matches in the US in case Ronaldo gets detained

Juventus will compete in the annual off-season tournament the International Champions Cup, but according to the New York Times, the club requested that its games were not scheduled in the United States. This is so the apparent risk of Ronaldo being detained by authorities investigating the rape case is avoided, the Times said.

This story is ongoing.

SEE ALSO: Cristiano Ronaldo smiled and signed autographs after accepting a $22 million fine and 2-year suspended jail term over tax fraud

DON'T MISS: Cristiano Ronaldo's heroic hat trick doesn't change the fact that his game remains in long-term decline

UP NEXT: Cristiano Ronaldo single-handedly brought Juventus back from the brink of defeat in stunning Champions League win over Atletico Madrid

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NOW WATCH: The NCAA brings in $1 billion a year — here's why it refuses to pay its college athletes

• Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, denied that she was pregnant in a recently resurfaced interview.
• She told a Spanish magazine in June that if she looked bloated, it's because she'd been eating a lot of pasta.
• Ronaldo and Rodriguez ended up moving to Italy when the striker left Real Madrid for Juventus in a blockbuster transfer last summer.
• Considering they live in the country that made the food famous, it's likely she's still eating a lot of pasta.
• Read all of Business Insider's coverage of the 2018-19 soccer season here.

Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, once denied rumors that she was pregnant by saying that if she looked bloated, it was actually because she'd been eating a lot of pasta.

Ronaldo and Rodriguez have been dating for several years, though the exact timeframe of their relationship is not known.

A former waitress in her hometown of Jaca, in northeast Spain, Rodriguez moved to England to be an au pair before working as a shop assistant at a Gucci store in Madrid, according to Goal.com. She is currently a lingerie model.

Rodriguez has a daughter with Ronaldo, Alana Martina, who was born in November 2017 and is Ronaldo's fourth child.

Rodriguez told the Spanish magazine Hola last June that the couple were not expecting another baby. The Sun and the Spanish daily newspaper Marca wrote about the interview this week amid new rumors that she's pregnant.

Instead, she said, she had just been eating a lot of pasta.

"I had been travelling from plane to plane and had eaten pasta for four days in a row," she said.

"I'm human," she added. "I retain liquids, and my hormones influence me, and I am still recovering from the previous birth."

As Ronaldo and Rodriguez have lived in Italy since the start of the Serie A soccer season, after the striker left Real Madrid in a blockbuster transfer last summer, it's likely she's still eating a lot of pasta.

Read more:Ronaldo's own son was outscoring him at Juventus

Rodriguez, who has frequently been seen at Ronaldo's side, earlier this year accompanied her superstar boyfriend to a Spanish courtroom where he smiled and signed autographs after accepting a $22 million fine and a suspended two-year jail term over allegations of tax fraud.

Read more:Cristiano Ronaldo smiled and signed autographs after accepting a $22 million fine and 2-year suspended jail term over tax fraud

She is also regularly spotted in the crowd at Ronaldo's soccer matches.

Last month, she was seen wiping away tears after seeing him pull Juventus back from the brink of an aggregate defeat as he scored all three goals in his team's win over Atletico Madrid.

SEE ALSO: The Cristiano Ronaldo rape allegations started with a chance meeting at a Las Vegas nightclub. Here's a timeline of everything that's happened so far.

DON'T MISS: Cristiano Ronaldo signed a Real Madrid jersey for a young fan, but told him he needed a Juventus kit

UP NEXT: Cristiano Ronaldo's heroic hat trick doesn't change the fact that his game remains in long-term decline

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo has some great perspective on his success

• Lionel Messi has a far greater chance of lifting this season's UEFA Champions League trophy than Cristiano Ronaldo.
• That's according to the statistical analysis website Fivethirtyeight.com, which says FC Barcelona is three times as likely to win the title than Juventus.
• But neither side is as fancied as Liverpool FC, as the Premier League team is the tournament favorite after a 2-0 win over FC Porto on Tuesday.
• Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 soccer season right here.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Lionel Messi is three times more likely to win the UEFA Champions League this season than Cristiano Ronaldo, according to the statistical analysis website Fivethirtyeight.com.

Messi played a crucial role in FC Barcelona's 1-0 win at Manchester United on Wednesday, ensuring Barça has a clear advantage ahead of the second leg of the quarter-final at Camp Nou next week.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, scored the opening goal for Juventus in the Italian team's trip to Ajax but was powerless as the Dutch team restored parity later, ending the game 1-1. Though Juve has an away goal in the two-legged quarter-final, its route to the semi-final, final, and the title itself is seen as more problematic than Barcelona's.

Aside from an aggregate come-from-behind victory over Atletico Madrid, inspired almost entirely by Ronaldo, Juventus' form in Europe has been mixed this season having lost to United in Turin, Italy; Young Boys in Bern, Switzerland; and Atletico in Madrid.

And data crunchers at Fivethirtyeight — which grades each team's defensive and offensive capabilities while looking at round-by-round probabilities — says Juventus has a mere 9% chance of progressing all the way to the Champions League trophy on June 1 at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid.

Read more: Lionel Messi left battered, bruised, and bleeding after over-zealous challenge from Manchester United defender Chris Smalling

This is far behind the 27% chance Barcelona has, with the Catalan team unbeaten throughout the European campaign so far. Barça even has big wins over PSV Eindhoven, Tottenham Hotspur, Internazionale, Olympique Lyonnais, and now United.

What this means is clear — Messi has a far greater shot at glory in 10 weeks' time than his old rival Ronaldo.

Liverpool is the tournament favorite

But even Barcelona is not the favorite for the title as that honor belongs to Liverpool FC, the team with the best round-by-round probability of success according to Fivethirtyeight.

Jurgen Klopp's team comfortably beat FC Porto in the first leg of its quarter-final on Tuesday even though it has, at times, come unstuck playing away from home in Europe this season.

Liverpool has an impressive array of game-changers and match-winners in its roster, including Roberto Firmino who created one goal and scored the other in the team's 2-0 win over Porto this week.

But it has already been defeated by Napoli, Red Star Belgrade, and Paris Saint-Germain on the road so far this season. It beat Bayern Munich in the Round of 16, and must hope to find that travel sickness cure once again when it takes on Porto in Portugal next week.

Regardless, Fivethirtyeight certainly sees Liverpool as the team to beat, with a 29% chance of going all the way this year and lifting the Champions League trophy come June.

SEE ALSO: Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend once denied that she was pregnant by saying she'd just been eating a lot of pasta

DON'T MISS: Somebody asked the pope if calling Lionel Messi 'God' is sacrilegious, and he responded

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explains why the NCAA should pay college athletes

• Cristiano Ronaldo has bought a new Rolls Royce Cullinan that's reportedly worth $360,000.
• For Ronaldo this is pocket change as the Juventus FC reportedly earned $108 million in 2018 alone, according to Forbes.
• The Rolls Royce SUV has been added to his collection of luxurious cars that also includes a Bentley, a Porsche, and a Ferrari.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Cristiano Ronaldo has bought a Rolls Royce that's reportedly worth $360,000.

A five-time Ballon d'Or champion and five-time UEFA Champions League winner, Ronaldo is one of the most famous faces in all sport and was the third best-paid athlete on the planet according to Forbes.

It was estimated that Ronaldo banked $61 million from his playing career in 2018, and earned a further $47 million through endorsements from blue-chip companies like Tag Heuer, Herbalife, and Nike.

Its' clear Ronaldo makes a lot of money, but he also spends it, as this Business Insider list shows that he likes to buy expensive suits, $20,200 Tag Heuer watches, and incredible properties around the world. He's also renowned for his fleet of cars that includes a Bentley, a Porsche, and a Ferrari.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo smiled and signed autographs after accepting a $22 million fine and 2-year suspended jail term over tax fraud

Now, there's another car to be added to his bulging garage — a rare Rolls Royce SUV called the Cullinan in bright white.

Ronaldo posted a photograph of the Rolls to his Instagram account alongside the caption "Trabalho feito," which means "work done" in Portuguese.

The 4x4 vehicle weighs 2.7 tonnes, according to MSN, but can be driven on or off the road as it is an "all-terrain" car.

It has "lavish trim and equipment," fancy gullwing doors, and a beautiful-looking cockpit. It also has a top speed of 250 kilometers per hour (kph), and in five seconds can accelerate from 0-96 kph.

Here's an exterior view of the model:

And here's the cockpit:

Juventus FC striker Ronaldo is currently playing a crucial role for the Italian team as he pulled the club from the brink of an aggregate UEFA Champions League defeat against Atletico Madrid earlier in the year, only to send it through in style with an incredible second leg hat-trick last month.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo's heroic hat trick doesn't change the fact that his game remains in long-term decline

Earlier this week, he maintained that hot form in Europe with a goal at Ajax.

But his coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Friday that the player will not feature in the team's upcoming Serie A match against SPAL, as "risking [him] tomorrow makes no sense,"Goal.com reported.

Instead, he will be saved so he is as fit and as fresh for the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Ajax. Juve drew with Ajax 1-1 in Amsterdam, and takes a critical away goal advantage to Turin on Tuesday.

Only time will tell if Ronaldo turns up at the match in his new Rolls Royce.

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• There is no athlete in the world more popular than Cristiano Ronaldo.
• That fame comes with a lot of perks, a ton of money, and plenty of toys to spend it on.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the most famous athlete on the planet, and he is now a member of Italian powerhouse Juventus after nine seasons with Real Madrid.

With a Juve salary in the tens of millions and some of the biggest endorsement deals in football, he was the third highest-paid athlete in the world in 2018, behind only Floyd Mayweather and fellow superstar Lionel Messi. As a result, he also has a ludicrous amount of cash to burn.

Find out how he earns his money and what he spends all that cash on below.

Tony Manfred and Melissa Stranger also contributed to this post.

Ronaldo earned $108 million (£81.5 million) in the last 12 months, according to Forbes, making him one of the highest-paid sports stars in the world.

Source: Forbes

Almost half of that income ($47 million, £35.5 million) was from endorsement deals with companies like Tag Heuer, Herbalife, and Nike.

Ronaldo's new deal with Nike will reportedly pay him over £19 million per year for the rest of his life. At that rate, the deal will reach £800 million ($1 billion) in total value when Ronaldo is 73 years old.

Source: Forbes

• Donny van de Beek and Matthijs de Ligt, two of Ajax's youngest but brightest talents, just engineered an unlikely victory over Juventus.
• Cristiano Ronaldo got on the scoresheet early on, but he has been dumped out of the UEFA Champions League by a European upstart.
• Ajax defeated Juventus 2-1 on Tuesday, 3-2 on aggregate, and now progresses to the semi-final stage of the tournament.
• Read more of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 soccer season right here.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus team just got dumped out of the UEFA Champions League by Ajax, a European upstart wrecking its way through the continent's biggest soccer tournament.

Ronaldo, a five-time Champions League winner, struggled to exert his traditional dominance in the early stages of the competition after swapping Real Madrid for Juve in a $130 million deal last summer.

The striker got sent off in his first Champions League outing for the Italians in September, scored just one goal in the group stages, and only really got going in the second leg of the Round of 16 match against Atletico Madrid, when he scored a hat-trick to pull Juventus back from the brink of defeat last month.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo's heroic hat trick doesn't change the fact that his game remains in long-term decline

The 34-year-old scored in the first leg of his team's quarter-final in the Netherlands last week, ensuring Juventus returned to Italy with an away goal advantage.

And even though he netted once again, an incredible and seemingly unstoppable bullet header in the 28th minute of the second leg in Turin on Tuesday, he watched powerless as the Dutch team, a side filled with cool and calm kids, came back into the match and upset the experienced Italians.

Watch Ronaldo's bullet header here:

Or here if you are in a different region:

Tuesday's comeback in Turin began just six minutes after Ronaldo's opener, when the 21-year-old attacking midfielder Donny van de Beek equalized from mid-range, capitalizing on confusion around the penalty spot and shooting into the bottom right hand corner of the goal.

The 19-year-old center back Matthijs de Ligt then struck the killer blow in the 67th minute when he scored with a header that would have made Ronaldo himself proud, nodding the ball beyond the reaches of the Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, with a move that sent the visiting fans into raptures as it effectively won Ajax the match.

Watch the winning goal right here:

Ajax's 2-1 lead in Italy meant Juventus would have had to score two goals without conceding, to win. This is because of the away goal ruling, which grants greater power to goals struck on the road.

But Ajax never really lost control of the game, and cruised toward the final whistle with a 3-2 aggregate victory. Ajax, unnerved, went into its opponent's own ground and left with the win, just it did against Real Madrid, when it beat the reigning European champions 4-1 in Spain last month.

Ronaldo, and Juventus, got eliminated while Ajax moves into the two-legged semi-final on April 30 and May 7 with a clear reputation as the tournament's giant-killer.

SEE ALSO: 19-year-old Juventus player Moise Kean is partly to blame for the racist abuse he gets, according to his teammate

DON'T MISS: 5 charts that show how truly awful Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the Champions League this year

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• Juventus shares dropped 11% on Wednesday after the Italian football club crashed out of the Champions League. 
• Star striker Cristiano Ronaldo scored early but Dutch club Ajax fired back twice, bringing the aggregate score to 3:2 and knocking Juventus out of the competition.
• Juventus could have netted upwards of $100 million if it won the Champions League.
• Watch Juventus and Ajax trade live.
  

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Juventus shares tumbled more than 10% on Wednesday after Italy's most successful soccer club crashed out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.

Star striker Cristiano Ronaldo scored early in the team's second-leg fixture against Ajax, but the Dutch club fired back twice, bringing the aggregate score to 3:2 and knocking Juventus out of Europe's premier soccer competition.

As Juventus will now miss out on publicity and financial rewards — last year's champions Real Madrid netted more than $100 million in prize money— investors balked. They celebrated Ajax's win by sending its shares up 8%.

Juventus shares have soared and plunged with the team's fortunes in the past month. They slumped after the club lost 2:0 to Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the round of 16, then rallied after Ronaldo scored a trio of goals in the return fixture to secure an unlikely progression to the quarter-finals. 

Juventus shares almost doubled after it signed Ronaldo last summer, as investors bet the former Real Madrid man could help the "Bianconeri" finally win the Champions League — they've lost in five previous finals. They now trade at €1.42 ($1.61), down from around €1.67 last September when hype around the player peaked.

Around 520,000 shirts were sold in just 24 hours after Ronaldo's signing, according to reports — about $62.4 million worth of trade. Juventus also sold €150 million of bonds ($169 million) in February to cash in on the excitement around its new striker.

Ronaldo's early departure from the competition will fuel criticism that the player is past his prime. Juventus investors will be hoping he can prove them wrong next year.

SEE ALSO: Shares in Juventus FC have doubled since it bought Cristiano Ronaldo, and it's probably only the beginning

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• Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final for just the second time in 12 years.
• And there may be a curse at play.
• A data cruncher on Twitter has suggested the "Toy Story" franchise is to blame, as the Portuguese striker comes up short whenever Pixar releases a new movie.
• The curse is eerily similar to the sports jinx that haunts Drake, who seemingly curses whichever team or athlete he lends his support to.
• Fortunately for Ronaldo and his team Juventus, there are currently no plans to release another "Toy Story" movie.
• Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 European Soccer season right here.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

There's a wild theory going around that suggests Pixar Animated Studios could be to blame for Cristiano Ronaldo's inability to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Pixar is renowned for its popular "Toy Story" franchise. One of its earliest lines from iconic character Buzz Lightyear, "to infinity and beyond," has become ingrained in modern pop culture.

But whenever Pixar releases a "Toy Story" movie, Ronaldo cannot get beyond the quarter-final stage, let alone to infinity.

Pixar released a "Toy Story" movie in 1995, 1999, 2010, and 2019. And, as Duncan Alexander, an Opta data cruncher says on Twitter, Ronaldo has reached the Champions League semi-final in every single year from 2007 onwards "except ones in which a Toy Story film has been released."

Ronaldo, of course, was dumped out of the Champions League in the quarter-final stage this season by a young but talented Ajax team.

Ronaldo scored in each game of the two-legged tie this month, but watched powerless as Juventus surrendered its advantage at home in Turin. Donny van de Beek and Matthijs de Ligt, two of Ajax's brightest stars, scored critical goals and engineered an unlikely victory.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo's goals don't change the fact that his game remains in long-term decline

The only other year Ronaldo failed to reach the final four was in 2010 when he was playing for Real Madrid. Between February and March of that year, Real played Olympique Lyonnais twice but were knocked out having lost 2-1 on aggregate.

The Toy Story curse is eerily similar to the jinx that haunts the Canadian rapper Drake.

Drake has pledged support to the University of Kentucky and Toronto Rapters basketball teams, but neither side has enjoyed championship success since.

He even held the Irish flag aloft for Conor McGregor at a UFC weigh-in, just before the Irishman ended up losing to his lightweight rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Read more:Italian football club AS Roma has banned its players from taking pictures with Drake because he's so unlucky

An Italian soccer club, AS Roma, jokingly tweeted that it has now banned its players from taking pictures with Drake because he's so unlucky.

It is unlikely Juventus will be able to prevent Pixar from releasing more "Toy Story" movies in the future, but fortunately for them there are no plans, as of yet, for "Toy Story 5."

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• Cristiano Ronaldo's representation has denied he is the secret buyer of a $12.5 million one-of-a-kind Bugatti, as previously reported by the European media.
• The purchase was not confirmed by Bugatti, and the 260-mph car will not join its new owner until 2021 at the earliest as the manufacturer still needs to apply finishing touches to the vehicle.
• Ronaldo is one of the richest athletes on the planet, according to Forbes.
• You can see the Bugatti, named "La Voiture Noire," or "The Black Car," below.
• Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.

Cristiano Ronaldo's representation has denied that he bought the one-of-a-kind Bugatti worth $12.5 million.

As a big-game player on a $35-million-a-year contract, Ronaldo clearly has money to spend — but reports in Italy's Sky Sport, Spain's Marca, and the Daily Mail that suggest the 34-year-old bought the "most expensive" car on the planet have been robustly rejected by a spokeswoman, who told Business Insider the reports are "entirely false" and that "he has not bought the car."

The motor was unveiled at this year's Geneva Motor Show.

It has an 8.0-liter turbocharged W16 engine capable of taking its driver to speeds as high as 260 mph.

Only one model has been built, and it was inspired by the four iconic Type 57 SC Atlantic models that Bugatti made from 1936 to 1938.

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo smiled and signed autographs after accepting a $22 million fine and 2-year suspended jail term over tax fraud

The new model, "La Voiture Noire," which means "The Black Car," has been built to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the luxury car firm.

It comes with a price tag of 11 million euros, according to Marca, or $12.5 million, reportedly making it the most expensive car sold.

Here's a look at the car:

Marca reports that Bugatti has not confirmed the buyer, and the driver will not be able to actually get their hands on it until 2021, when the final touches will be complete.

Though Ronaldo is not the new owner, he did recently purchase a bright white Rolls-Royce Cullinan reportedly worth $360,000 earlier this year, an SUV that was added to a collection that included a Bentley, a Porsche, and a Ferrari.

As this Business Insider list shows, it is not just cars he likes to buy, as Ronaldo also spends his money on expensive suits, $20,200 Tag Heuer watches, and incredible properties around the world.

He made his fortune because of his exemplary soccer skills and is able to fund his shopping sprees because he was named the third-best-paid athlete on the planet in 2018, according to Forbes.

It was estimated that Ronaldo banked $61 million from his playing career in 2018 and earned a further $47 million through endorsements from blue-chip companies like Tag Heuer, Herbalife, and Nike.

He remains critical to Juventus' success on and off the field, and played in helping the team win the Supercoppa Italiana earlier this year, together with the 2018-2019 Serie A championship.

Juventus is next in action against its local rival Torino on Friday.

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• Stop comparing Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo, a growing number of soccer stars are saying.
• The FC Barcelona forward produced yet another remarkable performance in this season's UEFA Champions League when he helped his team take down Liverpool FC 3-0 on Wednesday.
• Messi has almost doubled Ronaldo's goals and assists haul this year, and could yet guide Barça to the Champions League title this season.
• Some of the biggest stars in soccer are saying he's the best right now, and the best there's ever been.
• Read more of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 European soccer season here.
• Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.

Some of the biggest stars in soccer are saying Lionel Messi is so good, there's now no comparison to his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

The technically-adept Argentine and the Portuguese powerhouse have been virtually inseparable for more than a decade as they battled for supremacy, winning UEFA Champions League titles, league championships, and individual awards like the Ballon d'Or — an annual prize given to the best player in the world.

But Messi's form throughout the season, where he has scored 46 and created 16 goals in La Liga and European competitions, has placed him a level above his historic peer Ronaldo, who has produced little more than half Messi's haul with 26 goals and 10 assists in this season's Serie A and Champions League tournaments.

Even before FC Barcelona's remarkable 3-0 victory over Liverpool FC on Wednesday, Messi had been hailed by the Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp as the world's best soccer player.

"I don't want to talk about the others,"The Guardian columnist Sid Lowe quoted Klopp saying this week when he was asked who would feature in a top-five ranking of the best players in history. "Messi is the best," he added. "I have seen a lot of good players. I've coached a lot … but the best is Messi."

Speaking after Messi's near flawless performance in the first leg of Liverpool's Champions League semifinal at Camp Nou, where the 31-year-old wrote headlines around the world for an outrageous free kick struck in the 82nd minute, Klopp told the BBC that it was in these moments that Messi is "unstoppable."

Read more: Lionel Messi unleashed a gorgeous free kick to nearly seal Barcelona's spot in the Champions League final

Klopp is not the only prominent member of the soccer community to marvel at Messi's majesty.

The controversial Olympique Marseille striker Mario Balotelli said the Barça player's latest display means he can no longer be compared to Ronaldo, and is now in a league of his own.

"For the love of football, please do not compare him to the no.7 of Juventus anymore,"Balotelli said, according to Goal.com.

And finally, the AS Monaco midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who used to play alongside Messi in the Barcelona team from 2011 to 2014, wrote on Twitter that it is "impossible for someone to tell me there's someone better than him."

When it comes to individual awards, both Messi and Ronaldo are tied with five Ballon d'Or trophies each. But should Messi guide Barcelona to the Champions League trophy this season, his fifth with the team, the Argentine will likely surpass Ronaldo and claim a sixth player of the year prize later in 2019.

Barcelona plays Liverpool in the second leg at Anfield on May 7, before the tournament final on June 1.

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