Real Madrid was on the verge of elimination with a 2-0 deficit in the Champions League. With their La Liga season essentially over with only a handful of weeks left, the game on Tuesday was the only one that really truly mattered.

One goal against would likely end Madrid's season, necessitating four goals to get through to the semifinals.

On Monday, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to play the role of Mark Messier and made a promise.

"Tuesday will be perfect, it'll be a magical night; with your help the players will give the maximum on the pitch and we will go through to the next round. Hala Madrid!" he told the media prior to the match against Wolfsburg, essentially guaranteeing a win on the biggest club stage imaginable.

In other years people would have been more likely to lend credibility to the statement. After all, this Madrid team had disappointed far too often this year and Ronaldo had repeatedly disappeared in big games. So the narrative went.

But Ronaldo made sure to keep his word.

Delivering the Promise

Just like Messier went out and scored three goals in a four-game win that forced Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994, Ronaldo came up with the three goals needed for Madrid to move into the final four.

And it was all his genius in what has been his best performance of 2015-16 and one of the best of his career.

Every goal had his signature on it from the poacher instincts of the first to aerial prowess on the second and the solid, if fortunate, free kick to win it.

Check out the goals here:

What Would Have Happened if He Failed?

Just imagine the consequences had Madrid done what everyone expected? Lost, embarrassed and now with nothing to win this season. The scapegoat in the media? Ronaldo. The headlines would talk about his ego doing the talking and his playing continuing to decline. They would talk about a superstar that has no more trophies to win in Spain.

Messi and his genius would come back into the conversation on a day Messi didn't even play.

It would probably be the end of Ronaldo at Madrid, a player who offered a lot of promise but could only deliver for himself and not the team when it mattered.

But here we are, a day later and Madrid enters the final four in a rather favorable position.

Why Madrid Has Hope of Winning the Champions League

Barcelona is looking out of sorts in recent weeks and is suddenly vulnerable. Bayern Munich is not running away with anything in its own matchup and will have to fight to the bitter end against a surprising Benfica side. And Manchester City has already overachieved mightily.

And Ronaldo not only accomplished getting Madrid into the semifinals, but has put another conversation to bed - his decline.

Ronaldo Back to his Best At Right Time of Year

Ronaldo has gotten a lot of flack for failing to show up in big games all year with a plethora of his 46 goals coming against smaller clubs. However, four of his last five tallies have been the biggest he could ever ask for in 2016. The first gave his team hope in the Clasico and put him over Messi in their tete-a-tete. The last three have Madrid in a position he guaranteed and delivered on.

More importantly? Ronaldo's best play is coming at the right moment. A year ago, he was scoring 30 goals before the first half of the season was even half-way done. He wound up struggling to the finish line. This year he came out cold out of the game and is on fire at the finish. That is invaluable to Madrid and Ronaldo's legacy should he get them to the promised land next month.

In the meantime, we can enjoy Ronaldo's ability to deliver on a big promise.

That is the stuff of legends.

Related