The essential man: Ronaldo is saving his best for when it matters most

There's no point talking about Christiano Ronaldo's age. He's doing things at 33 that many players can't do in a lifetime of football. His outrageous bicycle kick against juventus on Tuesday was arguably the greatest strike of his illustrious career, and as usual, it came right when Real Madrid needed him to produce something special.

The Bianconeri were threatening to mount a comeback in this Champions League quarter-final first leg, launching wave after wave of attack in search of an equaliser to Ronaldo's opening goal. The home side missed genuine scoring chances and had lots of space to exploit in midfield.

But on a rare break, Ronaldo took over. The counter-attack was flailing until the Portuguese leaped for the impossible, flinging his right foot so high that it cleared Mattia De Sciglo's head. He has always caught big air when going for headers, towering over the tallest defenders, but this was something else entirely. He had the confidence in both his physical and technical ability to score from this position.

A lot goes into a moment like this. Ronaldo's kept himself in impeccable shape to retain a spot in one of football's greatest teams.

Casemiro said afterward that Ronaldo continues to surprise his teammates in training - a common refrain from anyone who's ever shared a pitch with him. That competitive fire was first stoked when people criticised his size at 11 years old. Later at Manchester United, manager Sir Alex Ferguson allowed his players to rough up Ronaldo in practice. It was clear early on that talent alone wouldn't suffice. Behind the sheen of his appearance is a work ethic that's second to none.

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There's also been a conscious effort to keep him sharp and healthy. Aware of Ronaldo's ridiculous workload - he's played in no fewer than 46 matches in any single season since 2010-11 - manager Zinedine Zidane has opted to rest Ronaldo at calculated intervals.

"There comes a moment when it is necessary for him, for the team, for everything, for him not to play," Zidane said in February. "He is better this way."

It's not a foolproof strategy - Madrid suffered a fifth defeat of the La Liga campaign while holding Ronaldo out - but it's done with the Champions League in mind. Los Blancos are the kings of Europe, after all. That's their holy ground.

The results speak for themselves: Ronaldo has scored 24 goals in his past 14 appearances in the competition while collecting a raft of records. Few managers would be able to talk a player of Ronaldo's repute into actively skipping matches, but Zinedine carries such an air of respect and charisma that it's easy for him.

Ronaldo agreed that he would preserve himself in order to arrive in the final stages of the season at 100 percent.

"We've been intelligent," Ronaldo said after last year's Champions League final, according to the Guardian's Side lowe. "I have been saving myself. It is these games when titles are decided."

He had felt the pain of playing injured at both the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, the consequences of logging massive minutes for Madrid, and wouldn't make the same mistake a third time.

And Madrid needs him firing now more than ever before. The win over Juventus, like many other results in the past year, was possible because of Ronaldo's singular dominance. The reality is that Zidane's side hasn't played all that well as a unit, relying more on individual battles and success in one-on-one situations. Karim Benzema is posting career-worst numbers and Gareth Bale is the only other Madrid player with goals in the double digits.

A moment like Ronaldo's on Tuesday may have been improvised, but a lot went on behind the scenes to make it happen.

See the wonderful goal!!!