(CNN) — Booed and jeered upon his entrance, cheered upon his exit — perhaps even the most bitter of rivals are finally ready to submit to the mercurial talents of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Few former Manchester United players have been given the ovation which Ronaldo received from an Anfield crowd, but then again, this is not just any player.
Ronaldo had never scored at Anfield during his time with United — it was a statistic which took just 23 minutes to become history.
A 3-0 victory over Liverpool, inspired by Ronaldo, ensured Real Madrid made it nine points out of nine in Group B.
A 70th Champions League strike means he is just one behind the all-time leading scorer, Raul, the man so revered by all at Real.
The record will soon fall, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who has 69, will set records which few would have ever imagined possible.
For Real, a club record seventh consecutive European victory was assured courtesy of Ronaldo’s breathtaking strike and Karim Benzema’s double.
For all the pre-match hype of another ‘special European night’ at Anfield, it was all pretty routine.
Liverpool, the five-time winner, was blown away by the pace and power of Real as Ronaldo took center stage.
“It was special, my first goal at Anfield and I am very happy — amazing,” Ronaldo told Sky Sports
“We knew that Anfield is a difficult place, but we were fantastic in the first 45 minutes and we deserved to win.
“I’m not worried about the Champions League goalscoring record. I know I will beat it. Me and Lionel Messi are very close.
“The best thing is that the team has nine points.
“Can we retain the cup? Why not? We are taking it step-by-step but we are going to try.
“We know it will be tough but we are positive and it is possible.”
No team has ever managed to retain the Champions League title since it was revamped into its current format in 1992, but Real will certainly go close in it attempt to record an unprecedented 11th triumph.
A day after Bayern Munich had ransacked Rome by scoring seven, Real arrived at another of European football’s most famous fortresses and blew it to smithereens.