Extra-time goals by Bale, Marcelo and Ronaldo give Madrid victory

Cristiano Ronaldo has two Champions League winner medals to show off along with his two world player of the year awards.

That is, when he is done showing off his ripped physique.

Ronaldo's penalty at the end of extra time Saturday sealed a 4-1 victory for Real Madrid over Atletico Madrid, which led deep into stoppage time after 90 minutes.

The 29-year-old Portuguese star then ripped off his shirt in celebration and struck a pose showing off his muscles.

Soon, Ronaldo was being hugged by Portugal's state president, Anibal Cavaco Silva, and patted on the back by Spain's King Juan Carlos before collecting his medal from UEFA president Michel Platini-who also hugged him.

Just another night of Ronaldo being soccer's biggest showman and undisputed current best player.

"Since day one at the club I've felt ready for this," said the Madrid star after helping end the club's wait since 2002 for a coveted 10th European title in his fifth season there.

"The pressure is making me a better player. It was worth risking (my injury) since we're champions," Ronaldo said.

The Madrid star now heads to Brazil to cap his stellar season at the World Cup, where Group G rivals Germany, the United States and Ghana await him.

Ronaldo will arrive with confidence peaking, even if his finishing fell from his own absurdly high standards on Saturday.

His 51st goal of the season came from his ninth attempt, including two trademark free kicks which tested Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

One missed second-half chance seemed scripted for Ronaldo: hanging high to meet a Sergio Ramos cross, neck muscles tightening to drive his forehead at the ball. An untypically tame connection glanced the ball wide.

Six years ago, in his first Champions League final, Ronaldo met the moment and ball to arrow his header into Chelsea's goal and give Manchester United the lead in Moscow.

The eventual manner of victory in 2008 was as dramatic as Saturday's proved.

Then, Ronaldo was the only Man United player to have his penalty saved in a shootout, before Chelsea captain John Terry struck a post with the potentially decisive kick.

When Edwin van der Sar sealed victory with a save, Ronaldo lay crying in the center circle alone as teammates raced toward the goalkeeper.

Still, Man United's European title helped propel Ronaldo over great rival Lionel Messi in January 2009 to win his first FIFA world player award.

Messi beat Ronaldo in the next Champions League final, scoring in Barcelona's 2-0 win.

That night in Rome announced Messi's rise above Ronaldo in soccer's firmament. Confirmation came with Messi's election to the FIFA honor for an unprecedented four straight years.

Ronaldo stopped the streak in January on another tearful evening. His young son, Cristiano, stood beside him on stage and Pele also wept at this shoulder.

The accolade was acclaimed as reward for hard work to hone his body and raise an already prolific scoring record.

There were no tears on Saturday, and Ronaldo was at the heart of the party.

It was in the same Stadium of Light in Lisbon that Ronaldo lost in his first major final-a stunning 1-0 upset for Greece over host Portugal in the 2004 European Championship.

With this measure of redemption, Ronaldo closed in on the three Champions League titles held by 26-year-old Messi.

HISTORY REPEATS FOR 'JINXED' ATLETICO

For Atletico Madrid, this story line is a little too familiar.

Forty years on from conceding a last-minute goal in its only previous European Cup final, Atletico endured a similar ending on Saturday as a stoppage-time equalizer helped Real Madrid rally for a 4-1 extra-time victory in the Champions League final.

Atletico's nickname the 'pupas' , or "jinxed ones", stems from the 1974 European Cup loss to Bayern Munich, which scored a 120th-minute equalizer to force a replay it won 4-0.

Atletico looked set to follow up its first Spanish league title in 18 years with a maiden European Cup when Diego Godin headed home in the first half at the Stadium of Light.

But Sergio Ramos equalized in the injury time before Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo completed Real's win.

"This match is not worth a tear," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. "The word to describe this feeling isn't sadness but bitterness as we didn't achieve the objectives we set for ourselves.

"But tomorrow is another day."

Not only was Atletico just more than 60 seconds away from erasing the painful memories of that 1974 final, but from completing the greatest season in club history with a historic double.

Just one week ago, Atletico secured its first Spanish league title in 18 years, an improbable triumph to become the first Spanish winner besides Barcelona or Real since Valencia in 2004.

But Simeone's decision to play injured striker Diego Costa set Atletico back as the Brazilian-born Spain striker exited after just nine minutes.

With midfielder Arda Turan also out due to injury, Atletico's players struggled over the extra 30 minutes with the team out of timeouts and running low on energy.

"We were champions in the 93rd," said striker Adrian Lopez, who replaced Costa. "We played a great game for 90 minutes and it was a shame we couldn't avoid (Ramos' ) goal."

It took Atletico 40 years for an opportunity to erase the memories of Heysel, the site of the 1974 final and final replay. Its 10th league trophy seems a little less impressive on Saturday.

"To win the league was marvelous and we were so close to such an important trophy," Simeone said. "This will help us prepare for what is going to come next in the best way."

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring in the Champions League final between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday. Real won 4-1 in extra time. Paulo Duarte / Associated Press

(China Daily 05/26/2014 page24)