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Cristiano Ronaldo regularly stuns crowds with his ability and showmanship, especially in the Champions League.

But the Portuguese caught the eye in a rather unique - and understated - way as Real Madrid beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 on Wednesday.

Los Blancos were awarded a penalty in the first half of their last-16 clash with the Ligue 1 giants, after going a goal behind.

Ronaldo was tasked with getting his team back in the tie, but was happy to shoulder the responsibility and fired home his spot-kick.

(Image: BT Sport)

Everything about his effort seemed to be in order, but some eagle-eyed fans noticed the ball moving as the Portuguese made contact with it.

Upon closer inspection in the BT Sport studio, replays showed that the ball rose into the air seconds before Ronaldo hit it.

And, to make things even more bizarre, it appears the Portuguese's standing leg, which slammed the ground next to the ball before he struck it, appeared to be the reason for it rising.

(Image: BT Sport)

Discussing the penalty, Gary Lineker suggested the technique was no accident, saying: "If he means that then he is definitely special."

To which Ferdinand confirmed his suspicions, responding: "He used to do that in training, you know. I'm not saying he did it there but he did used to do it. I swear to ya. Crazy. He used to do it."

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

Former referee Graham Poll also spoke out about the bizarre penalty after the match, and claimed that, technically, the spot-kick should have been re-taken.

"You cannot blame the officials for missing it, as it would have been almost impossible to spot in real time.

(Image: AFP)

"But with the benefit of slow-motion replays, we can see that the ball bobbled up as Ronaldo planted his left foot, before slamming it home with his right.

"The ball must be stationary when a penalty is struck so, had the referee spotted it, the kick would have been retaken."