Cristiano Ronaldo used to embarrass defenders every time he took to the pitch during his days with Sporting Lisbon and then Manchester United.He also destroyed opponents for several years after joining Real Madrid, but you rarely see the four-time Ballon d’Or beat players with skill these days.That’s no surprise when you consider he’s getting on a bit. Ronaldo turned 32 earlier this month and is no longer as quick or sharp as he once was; although he’s still more dynamic than most footballers.So, it was great to see Ronaldo roll back the years against Espanyol this afternoon.The Portugal international pulled off an insane piece of skill to humiliate David Lopez - and the Bernabeu crowd erupted when it happened.

Ronaldo destroys David Lopez

Ronaldo squared up against Espanyol’s left-back and decided to go for a Ronaldinho-esque flip-flap.

The result? A stunning nutmeg on the Spanish defender. Just beautiful.

Video: Ronaldo's elastico nutmeg

Pure magic...

Twitter also erupted

As well as the home supporters inside Madrid’s stadium, Twitter also exploded.

Check out the reaction…

Madrid then took the lead through Morata

Shortly after Ronaldo’s moment of magic, Los Blancos took the lead through Alvaro Morata.

A win today would see Zinedine Zidane’s men extend their lead over Barcelona, who face Leganes tomorrow evening, to four points.

Madrid, however, will still have a game in hand over Luis Enrique’s side.