After a turbulent week that led to exit rumors and questions whether he could still cut it on the biggest stage, Cristiano Ronaldo answered his critics by scoring a hat trick in the first 33 minutes against Cagliari on Sunday.
The sharks began to circle after Juventus dropped out of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on away goals to FC Porto on Tuesday with the winning goal in extra time coming after Ronaldo failed to keep his place in the wall facing the free kick. It's the third straight season in which the Italian champions have failed to crack the semifinals with the $117 million star they had signed to put them over the top.