Cristiano Ronaldo repeatedly told friends he would score hat-trick to eliminate Atletico Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo predicted he would score a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid (Picture: Getty)

Cristiano Ronaldo single-handedly overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Atletico Madrid with a scintillating hat-trick to book Juventus’ place in the Champions League quarter-finals – and he predicted he would too.

The competition’s all-time top scorer took some time to get going for Juve in Europe, but on Tuesday night Ronaldo, 34, owned the stage and proved just why the Serie A giants shelled out €100million on him last summer.

While the first leg seemed to pass Ronaldo by completely, the Portuguese icon asserted his dominance in the 27th minute in Turin with a towering header above Giorgio Chiellini to drag Massimiliano Allegri’s side back into the tie.

Ronaldo leveled the scoreline shortly after the break with another powerful header and, at the death, the ex-Real Madrid star kept his nerve from the penalty spot to make it 3-2 on aggregate following Angel Correa’s foul on Federico Bernardeschi.

There were jubilent scenes in the crowd and TV cameras zoomed in on Ronaldo’s girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, and his son, Cristiano Junior, who were understandably overflowing with emotion.

Before the match, Saleemk7a7n claimed that Ronaldo had repeatedly told close friends and family that he would score a hat-trick to knock Atleti out of the competition.

Ronaldo was intent on exacting revenge against Diego Simeone’s side and predicted he would drag Juve over the line in the second leg.

Ronaldo’s partner Georgina Rodriguez was in tears at the final whistle (Picture:

Incredibly, it was the third time Ronaldo had scored a hat-trick versus Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

He managed the feat in the final league match at the Estadio Vicente Calderon in 2017 and in Madrid’s Champions League semi-final win over Atleti later that season.

Ronaldo now has the joint most hat-tricks in Champions League, equaling Lionel Messi’s tally of eight in the competition.

Ronaldo claimed that he had proved his worth after a ‘magical’ evening in Turin.

‘It had to be a special night and it was. Not just for goals, but for the team. This is the Champions League mentality. We haven’t won anything yet, but we have made it a nice journey,’ he told Sky Sport after the final whistle.

‘Maybe that’s why Juve signed me, to help them. It was a magical evening.

‘Atletico is a very complicated opponent but we have proven to deserve the next round. The final? It’s early, let’s think step by step.’