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Cristiano Ronaldo made a romantic return to Old Trafford earlier this year. The former Real Madrid star has accomplished everything a modern-day footballer wants to achieve at club level and has proven himself in different leagues.
Ronaldo has been recognized as a serial match-winner throughout his career, and he grows in prominence when playing essential fixtures. Along with Lionel Messi, the 36-year-old goal machine is considered the best footballer of the 21st century.
Cristiano Ronaldo boasts almost all goal scoring records
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Cristiano Ronaldo is renowned for his goal-scoring ability. The Portuguese superstar holds the bragging rights when it comes to most of the records involving goals. Since records are often a fair metric to compare world-class players, here are five that solidify Cristiano Ronaldo’s status as the GOAT:
#5 Most seasons as Champions League top scorer
Cristiano Ronaldo is often referred to as “Mr. Champions League”, and there is a reason behind that. Apart from winning the joint-most Champions League trophies, the Manchester United striker has also finished most seasons as the top scorer of the 32-team tournament.
Ronaldo has been the top scorer in the Champions League on seven occasions (2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18). All but one of those seven seasons came while donning the famous white jersey of Real Madrid.
His most prolific season in the Champions League was back in 2013-14, as he found the net 17 times. Cristiano Ronaldo also won the Champions League top scorer award in six back-to-back campaigns with Real Madrid, an extremely difficult record to break.
#4 Most goals in Champions League history
Cristiano Ronaldo is known to step up on the biggest stages, and there’s no bigger stage in club football than the UEFA Champions League. Due to his consistency in the Champions League, Ronaldo has racked up a record 139 goals so far. He has scored 16 more goals than Lionel Messi, who is his closest competitor.
Ronaldo is not just about goals when it comes to the competition though. Surprisingly, he also holds the record for most assists (42) in the competition.
Given Ronaldo’s fitness levels, he is definitely going to play for a few more years and add to his 139-goal tally. Once Messi hangs up his boots, it is tough to fathom any other play touching Ronaldo’s record anytime soon.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored these 139 goals in 180 appearances, with a 0.77 goals per game ratio. Out of these, only 17 have come from 12 yards out, making him the highest non-penalty goal scorer in the competition as well.
#3 Only player to score 50 plus goals in Premier League, La Liga and Serie A
Cristiano Ronaldo has proven his credentials in several European leagues. While loyalty is always a good trait for a footballer to have, there is nothing better than proving yourself in different leagues. Often world-class footballers fail to adapt to foreign leagues. However, Cristiano Ronaldo was built to shine wherever he went.
Ronaldo is the only footballer to have recorded more than 50 goals in three of Europe’s top five leagues. At the time of writing, the goal machine has bagged 88, 311 and 81 goals in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, respectively.
Moreover, he is also the sole footballer to have scored more than a hundred goals in three different countries. It is a vital record that puts Ronaldo a step ahead of Lionel Messi as he has delivered in multiple leagues across Europe.
#2 Most international goals
Cristiano Ronaldo is a beast when it comes to international football. Ronaldo has scored 115 goals in 183 outings for Portugal. Iranian legend Ali Daei held this record for around two decades before Ronaldo broke it a few months back.
When Ronaldo scored his 110th international goal against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier on September 2, he wrote another chapter for himself in football’s history books. He has also registered 10 hat tricks for Portugal.
Unlike the UEFA Champions League top scorer record, Ronaldo has a substantial lead over active players when it comes to most international goals. Lionel Messi is 35 goals behind the Portuguese marksman.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer
If there’s any record that puts an end to a debate, it’s this one. Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading goal scorer in the history of football. He has scored 794 times, overtaking Pele’s long-standing record of 765 goals.
The Portuguese goal-machine got hold of this record when he scored against Verona in Serie A on February 21, 2021. That was his 766th goal, and he has already added almost 30 goals in nine months. Unlike Pele, Ronaldo was a late bloomer and is still going strong.
As in many cases, Lionel Messi is the only threat to Ronaldo’s record. The Argentine magician has scored 755 goals. Ronaldo will be determined to maintain the same level so that can take a significant lead before the legends decide to retire.
