For me it was the 2016/17 UCL top scorer battle. After the round of 16 ended, Messi was the favourite to finish the season as the top scorer, with 11 goals in only 7 games played. At the same time Cavani had scored 8, Lewandowski and Aubameyang had scored 7. Meanwhile Ronaldo had scored only 2 goals until the quarter-finals started, even his teammate Morata had scored 3 and he only started one game in the competition.

Flash-forward to the end of the campaign and Ronaldo finished the season with 12 UCL goals, after his brace in the final to help Real Madrid in their 12th (then) UCL trophy. A truly iconic turn-around that isn’t talked about much in my opinion. Any other suggestions?

  • LjvWright@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    I seem to remember Luka Modric first season in Madrid, he was shocking, so much so I remember him getting major stick and people mocking him. Then he scored a banger at Old Trafford in the CL and it all turned around for him.

  • Geezmanswe@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Sheffield Wednesday turning a 0-4 loss in the first leg into a 4-0 win. 5-5 after OT and winning on penalties in last years promotion push to the Championship. It was unreal like nothing I have seen since Milan bottled the final against Liverpool 200X.

  • LjvWright@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    A controversial one maybe. I remember Cristiano Ronaldo was known as a show pony with no end product. Then his father died. And his first game back he scored a howitzer from way out with his left foot at Pompy. That was his turning point in my opinion.

  • Apprehensive-Ad8947@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    You’ve got unlimited things to choose from as exciting turn arounds in football ( a lot of examples in here”

    And you choose a player over taking another’s goal haul in a cup competition 😂

    Obsessed.

    Leicester clawing away from relegation and winning the league at 5000/1 next season…nope I’ll choose Ronaldo outscoring another player

  • paulgibbins@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    football is the greatest sport in the history of the world, capable of moments of astonishing excitement, beauty and emotion, and then I come onto Reddit’s biggest, most popular football sub expecting to see discussions which reflect this and instead I’m presented with this utterly tedious nonsense.

    What Cristiano Ronaldo fanboys have done to every single outlet to talk about football has ruined the sport for generations. And I’m saying this as someone who couldn’t give a shite about Messi.

  • National_Accident514@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Spain losing the first game in the 2010 WC to switzerland and went on to win the whole thing is the first thing that came to my mind. Also Conte’s Chelsea were in the bottom half 10 games in and went on to win the league in the 16/17 season.

    s/o to Argentina’s 2022 WC win as well

  • Uhoh_Heres_Matt@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Liverpool, who were 3-0 down at halftime to an AC Milan team that included the likes of Kaka, Pirlo, Shevchenko, Gattuso, Nesta, Maldini, Stam, Cafu, Crespo…

    Liverpool’s squad included, Traore, Garcia, Baros, Riise, Carragher, Dudek, Gerrard, Kewell…

    The gulf in class was incredible, it’s the greatest European final ever.

  • Joyride0@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Me on FC 24, I was 1-5 for Champions, needing 3 wins from the last 4. 2-6. Needing to win the last two. Scored a quick one in game 9 and the guy quit. Blew the opponent away 4-0 in game 10 to book our place in the Champions Tournament! 🏟️

  • Muur1234@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Bolton were 18th after 25 games then won a crazy amount of games and got promoted

  • shoukko@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Obviously biased as a Sunderland fan, but Gus Poyet keeping us up in 2014. We were bottom of the table on Christmas day and went on to finish 14th, with that run of games in April to May; an away draw to the eventual champions, beating Man Utd at Old Trafford, and ending Mourinho’s 77 game unbeaten home record as Chelsea manager.

    • Nosworthy@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      7 points adrift with 6 games to play, including Man City, Chelsea and Man United. It’s certainly the greatest relegation comeback of the Premier League era.

  • McGrathLegend@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Qatar’s National Team went from being a total joke in 2015, being dominated in all three Asian Cup Group Stage Matches…

    Then in 2019, Qatar put on one of the most dominant performances that’s ever been done at any International Competition, winning the 2019 Asian Cup where they only conceded one goal, and it was in the 2nd half of the Final against Japan when they were already up 2-0.

  • BarryCleft79@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Man City in 2011/12. 8 points behind. Only a handful of games left, go on a winning streak. Yeah, their rivals choke a little bit but city reel them in to become champions for the first time in 40+ years. Fairytale stuff