by ramras
Copyright © 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo with Portugal at the 2018 World Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||
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| Full name | Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro[1] | |||||||
| Date of birth | 5 February 1985[1] | |||||||
| Place of birth | Funchal, Madeira, Portugal[1] | |||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[note 1] | |||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||
| 1992–1995 | Andorinha | |||||||
| 1995–1997 | Nacional | |||||||
| 1997–2002 | Sporting CP | |||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||
| 2002–2003 | Sporting CP B | 2 | (0) | |||||
| 2002–2003 | Sporting CP | 25 | (3) | |||||
| 2003–2009 | Manchester United | 196 | (84) | |||||
| 2009–2018 | Real Madrid | 292 | (311) | |||||
| 2018–2021 | Juventus | 98 | (81) | |||||
| 2021–2022 | Manchester United | 40 | (19) | |||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||
| 2001 | Portugal U15 | 9 | (7) | |||||
| 2001–2002 | Portugal U17 | 7 | (5) | |||||
| 2003 | Portugal U20 | 5 | (1) | |||||
| 2002–2003 | Portugal U21 | 10 | (3) | |||||
| 2004 | Portugal U23 | 3 | (2) | |||||
| 2003– | Portugal | 194 | (118) | |||||
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show
Honours
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:40, 22 November 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:54, 2 December 2022 (UTC) |
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| Portuguese professional footballer
Eponyms and public art |
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Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɾiʃˈtjɐnu ʁɔˈnaɫdu]; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards[note 3] and four European Golden Shoes, the most by a European player. He has won 32 trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, and the UEFA European Championship. Ronaldo holds the records for most appearances (183), goals (140), and assists (42) in the Champions League, goals in the European Championship (14), international goals (118), and international appearances by a European (194). He is one of the few players to have made over 1,100 professional career appearances, and has scored over 800 official senior career goals for club and country. He is the only male player to score in five World Cup tournaments.
Ronaldo began his senior career with Sporting CP, before signing with Manchester United in 2003, at age 18, winning the FA Cup in his first season. He would also go on to win three consecutive P
Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup; at age 23, he won his first Ballon d’Or. Ronaldo was the subject of the then-most expensive association football transfer when he signed for Real Madrid in 2009 in a transfer worth €94 million (£80 million), where he won 15 trophies, including two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey, and four Champions Leagues, and became the club’s all-time top goalscorer. He won back-to-back Ballons d’Or in 2013 and 2014, and again in 2016 and 2017, and was runner-up three times behind Lionel Messi, his perceived career rival. In 2018, he signed for Juventus in a transfer worth an initial €100 million (£88 million), the most expensive transfer for an Italian club and for a player over 30 years old. He won two Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italiana trophies and a Coppa Italia, before returning to United in 2021. He left in 2022.
Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal in 2003 at the age of 18 and has since earned over 190 caps, making him Portugal’s most-capped player. With more than 100 goals at international level, he is also the nation’s all-time top goalscorer. Ronaldo has played in and scored at 11 major tournaments; he scored his first international goal at Euro 2004, where he helped Portugal reach the final. He assumed captaincy of the national team in July 2008. In 2015, Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football Federation. The following year, he led Portugal to their first major tournament title at Euro 2016, and received the Silver Boot as the second-highest goalscorer of the tournament. He also led them to victory in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019, receiving the top scorer award in the finals, and later received the Golden Boot as top scorer of Euro 2020.
One of the world’s most marketable and famous athletes, Ronaldo was ranked the world’s highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2016 and 2017 and the world’s most famous athlete by ESPN from 2016 to 2019. Time included him on their list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014. He is the first footballer and the third sportsman to earn US$1 billion in his career.
Early life
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in the São Pedro parish of Funchal, the capital of the Portuguese island of Madeira, and grew up in the nearby parish of Santo António.[8][9] He is the fourth and youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Viveiros da Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener and part-time kit man.[10] His great-grandmother on his father’s side, Isabel da Piedade, was from the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde.[11] He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia “Katia”.[12] His mother revealed that she wanted to abort him due to poverty, his father’s alcoholism, and having too many children already, but her doctor refused to perform the procedure.[13][14] Ronaldo grew up in an impoverished Catholic Christian home, sharing a room with all his siblings.[15]
As a child, Ronaldo played for Andorinha from 1992 to 1995,[16] where his father was the kit man,[10] and later spent two years with Nacional. In 1997, aged 12, he went on a three-day trial with Sporting CP, who signed him for a fee of £1,500.[17] He subsequently moved from Madeira to Alcochete, near Lisbon, to join Sporting’s youth academy.[17] By age 14, Ronaldo believed he had the ability to play semi-professionally and agreed with his mother to cease his education to focus entirely on football.[18] While popular with other students at school, he had been expelled after throwing a chair at his teacher, who he said had “disrespected” him.[18] One year later, he was diagnosed with tachycardia, a condition that could have forced him to give up playing football.[19] Ronaldo underwent heart surgery where a laser was used to cauterise multiple cardiac pathways into one, altering his resting heart rate.[20] He was discharged from the hospital hours after the procedure and resumed training a few days later.[21]
Club career
Sporting CP
At age 16, Ronaldo was promoted from Sporting’s youth team by first-team manager László Bölöni, who was impressed with his dribbling.[22] He subsequently became the first player to play for the club’s under-16, under-17 and under-18 teams, the B team and the first team, all within a single season.[17] A year later, on 29 September 2002, Ronaldo made his debut in the Primeira Liga, against Braga and on 7 October, he scored two goals against Moreirense in their 3–0 win.[23] Over the course of the 2002–03 season, his representatives suggested the player to Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier and Barcelona president Joan Laporta.[24] Manager Arsène Wenger, who was interested in signing Ronaldo, met with him at Arsenal‘s stadium in November to discuss a possible transfer.[25]
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was determined to acquire Ronaldo on a permanent move urgently, after Sporting defeated United 3–1 at the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in August 2003. Initially, United had planned to sign Ronaldo and loan him back to Sporting for a year.[26] Having been impressed by him, the United players urged Ferguson to sign him. After the game, Ferguson agreed to pay Sporting £12.24 million[26] for what he considered to be “one of the most exciting young players” he had ever seen.[27] A decade after his departure from the club, in April 2013, Sporting honoured Ronaldo by selecting him to become their 100,000th member.[28]
Manchester United
2003–2007: Development and breakthrough
“There have been a few players described as ‘the new George Best’ over the years, but this is the first time it’s been a compliment to me.”
—Former Manchester United player George Best hails the 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003.[29]
Ronaldo’s move to Manchester United was completed on 12 August 2003, too late for the 2003 FA Community Shield but in time for their game against Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the 2003–04 season, and made him the first Portuguese player to sign for the club.[30] His transfer fee made him, at the time, the most expensive teenager in English football history.[31] Although he requested the number 28, his number at Sporting, he received the squad number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by such United players as George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.[32] Wearing the number 7 became an extra source of motivation for Ronaldo.[33] A key element in his development during his time in England proved to be Ferguson, of whom he later said: “He’s been my father in sport, one of the most important and influential factors in my career.”[34]
Ronaldo playing for Manchester United against Chelsea in the 2005–06 Premier League season
Ronaldo made his debut as a substitute in a 4–0 home win over Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League on 16 August 2003, and received a standing ovation when he came on for Nicky Butt.[35] His performance earned praise from Best, who hailed it as “undoubtedly the most exciting debut” he had ever seen.[29] Ronaldo scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free-kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November.[36] Three more league goals followed in the second half of the campaign,[37] the last of which came against Aston Villa on the final day of the season, a match in which he also received the first red card of his career.[38] Ronaldo ended his first season in English football by scoring the opening goal in United’s 3–0 win over Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup Final, earning his first trophy.[39] BBC pundit Alan Hansen described him as the star of the final.[40] The British press had been critical of Ronaldo during the season for his “elaborate” step-overs in trying to beat opponents,[41] but teammate Gary Neville said he was “not a show pony, but the real thing”, and predicted he would become a world-class player.[42]
“He has got the tricks and party pieces, we know that, but they’re not much good unless there is something at the end of it all. We still have to remember, of course, that the lad is only 19 years of age. Considering that, you have to say he has got massive talent. His feet are mesmerising at times, and if he can couple that with some consistently good crossing, the future looks frightening.”
—Former BBC pundit Alan Hansen commenting on Ronaldo after his first season.[40]
Ronaldo scored United’s 1,000th Premier League goal on 29 October 2004, their only goal in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough.[43] A few weeks later, he signed a new contract with the club that extended his previous deal by two years to 2010.[44] At the start of 2005, Ronaldo played two of his best matches of the 2004–05 season, producing a goal and an assist against Aston Villa and scoring twice against rivals Arsenal.[45][46] He played the full 120 minutes of the 2005 FA Cup Final against Arsenal, which ended in a goalless draw; although Ronaldo scored his attempt in the penalty shoot-out, United lost 5–4.[47] Ronaldo won his second trophy in English football, the Football League Cup, after scoring the third goal in United’s 4–0 final win over Wigan Athletic.[48]
During his third season in England, Ronaldo was involved in several incidents. He had a one-match ban imposed on him by UEFA for a “one-fingered gesture” towards Benfica fans,[49] and was sent off in the Manchester derby (a 3–1 defeat) for kicking Manchester City‘s former United player Andy Cole.[50] Ronaldo clashed with a teammate, striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who took offence at the winger’s showboating style of play.[51] Following the 2006 FIFA World Cup, in which he was involved in an incident where club teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off,[52] Ronaldo publicly asked for a transfer, lamenting the lack of support he felt he had received from the club over the incident.[53] United denied the possibility of him leaving the club.[54]
Although his World Cup altercation with Rooney resulted in Ronaldo being booed throughout the 2006–07 season,[55] it proved to be his breakout year, as he broke the 20-goal barrier for the first time and won his first Premier League title. An important factor in this success was his one-to-one training by first-team coach René Meulensteen, who taught him to make himself more unpredictable, improve his teamwork, call for the ball and capitalise on goalscoring opportunities rather than waiting for the chance to score the aesthetically pleasing goals for which he was already known.[56] He scored three consecutive braces at the end of December, against Aston Villa (a win that put United on top of the league), Wigan and Reading.[57][58][59] Ronaldo was named the Premier League Player of the Month in November and December, becoming only the third player to receive consecutive honours.[60]
2007–2008: Collective and individual success
Ronaldo playing during the 2006–07 Premier League season
At the quarter-final stage of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, Ronaldo scored his first goals in his 30th match in the competition,[61] scoring twice in a 7–1 win over Roma.[62] He subsequently scored four minutes into the first semi-final leg against Milan, which ended in a 3–2 win,[63] but was marked out of the second leg as United lost 3–0 at the San Siro.[64] He also helped United reach the 2007 FA Cup Final, but the final against Chelsea ended in a 1–0 defeat.[65] Ronaldo scored the only goal in the Manchester derby on 5 May (his 50th goal for the club), as United won their first league title in four years.[66] As a result of his performances, he amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the Professional Footballers’ Association‘s Player’s Player, Fans’ Player and Young Player of the Year awards, as well as the Football Writers’ Association‘s Footballer of the Year award,[67][68] becoming the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA honours.[69] His wages were concurrently upgraded to £120,000 a week as part of a five-year contract extension.[70] Ronaldo was named runner-up to Kaká for the 2007 Ballon d’Or,[71] and came third, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi, in the running for the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year award.[72]
Ronaldo scored his first (and only till 2022) hat-trick for United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United on 12 January 2008, which put United top of the league table.[73] On 19 March, he captained United for the first time in a home win over Bolton and scored both goals in a 2–0 win.[74] His second goal was his 33rd of the campaign, which bettered George Best’s total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season, thus setting the club’s new single-season record by a midfielder.[75] His 31 league goals earned him the Premier League Golden Boot,[76] as well as the European Golden Shoe, which made him the first winger to win the latter award.[77] He additionally received the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards for the second consecutive season.[78][79] In the knockout stage of the Champions League, Ronaldo scored the decisive goal against Lyon, which helped United advance to the quarter-finals 2–1 on aggregate;[80] while playing as a striker, he scored with a header in the 3–0 aggregate win over Roma.[81] United reached the final against Chelsea in Moscow, where, despite his opening goal being negated by an equaliser and his penalty kick being saved in the shoot-out,[82] United emerged victorious.[83] As the Champions League top scorer, Ronaldo was named the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.[84]
Ronaldo scored a total of 42 goals in all competitions during the 2007–08 season, his most prolific campaign during his time in England. He missed three matches after headbutting a Portsmouth player at the start of the season, an experience he said taught him not to let opponents provoke him.[85] As rumours circulated of Ronaldo’s interest in moving to Real Madrid, United filed a tampering complaint with governing body FIFA over Madrid’s alleged pursuit of their player, but they declined to take action.[86] FIFA president Sepp Blatter asserted that the player should be allowed to leave his club, describing the situation as “modern slavery”.[87] Despite Ronaldo publicly agreeing with Blatter,[88] he remained at United for another year.[89]
2008–2009: Ballon d’Or and continued success
Ronaldo in 2009 with Manchester United playing in a Premier League game against Liverpool
Ahead of the 2008–09 season, on 7 July, Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery,[90] which kept him out of action for 10 weeks.[91] Following his return, he scored his 100th goal in all competitions for United with the first of two free kicks in a 5–0 win against Stoke City on 15 November,[92] which meant he had now scored against all 19 opposition teams in the Premier League at the time.[93] At the close of 2008, Ronaldo helped United win the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan,[94] assisting the final-winning goal against Liga de Quito and winning the Silver Ball in the process.[95] With his 2008 Ballon d’Or and 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year, Ronaldo became United’s first Ballon d’Or winner since Best in 1968,[96] and the first Premier League player to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year.[97]
His match-winning goal in the second leg against Porto, a 40-yard strike, earned him the inaugural FIFA Puskás Award, presented by FIFA in recognition of the best goal of the year;[98] he later called it the best goal he had ever scored.[99] United advanced to the final in Rome,[100] where he made little impact in United’s 2–0 defeat to Barcelona.[101] Ronaldo ended his time in England with nine trophies, as United claimed their third successive league title and a Football League Cup.[102][103] He finished the campaign with 26 goals in all competitions, 16 goals fewer than the previous season, in four more appearances.[104] His final goal for United came on 10 May 2009 with a free kick in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.[105]
Real Madrid
As his usual number 7 was unavailable, Ronaldo wore number 9 during his debut season at Madrid. After Raúl departed the club, Ronaldo was handed the number 7 shirt before the 2010–11 season.
Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid for a world record transfer fee at the time of £80 million (€94 million).[106] His contract, which ran until 2015, was worth €11 million per year and contained a €1 billion buy-out clause.[107] At least 80,000 fans attended his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu, surpassing the 25-year record of 75,000 fans who had welcomed Diego Maradona at Napoli.[108] Since club captain Raúl already wore the number 7 (the number Ronaldo wore at United), Ronaldo received the number 9 shirt,[109] which was presented to him by former Madrid player Alfredo Di Stéfano.[110]
2009–2013: World record transfer and La Liga title
Ronaldo made his La Liga debut against Deportivo La Coruña on 29 August, scoring a penalty in a 3–2 home win.[111] He scored in each of his first four league games, the first Madrid player to do so.[112] His first Champions League goals for the club followed with two free kicks in the first group match against Zürich.[113] His strong start to the season was interrupted when he suffered an ankle injury in October while on international duty, which kept him sidelined for seven weeks.[114][115] A week after his return, he received his first red card in Spain in a match against Almería.[116] Midway through the season, Ronaldo finished second in the 2009 Ballon d’Or and the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year awards, behind Messi. He finished the season with 33 goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 win against Mallorca on 5 May 2010, his first in La Liga,[117][118] and became Real Madrid’s highest goalscorer that season. Although Ronaldo helped amass a club record 96 points in the league, he did not win a trophy in his first season.[119][120]
Following Raúl’s departure, Ronaldo was given the number 7 shirt for Madrid before the 2010–11 season.[121] His subsequent return to his Ballon d’Or-winning form was epitomised when, for the first time in his career, he scored four goals in a single match during a 6–1 rout against Racing Santander on 23 October.[122] Ronaldo subsequently scored further hat-tricks against Athletic Bilbao, Levante, Villarreal and Málaga.[123][124][125] Despite his performances, he did not make the top three in the inaugural 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or.[126] During a historic series of four Clásicos against rivals Barcelona in April 2011, Ronaldo scored twice to equal his personal record of 42 goals in all competitions. Though he failed to score in either leg of the Champions League semi-finals as Madrid were eliminated, he equalised from the penalty spot in the return league game and scored the match-winning goal in the 103rd minute of the 2011 Copa del Rey Final, winning his first trophy in Spain.[127][128] His two goals in the last match of the season against Almería made him the first player in La Liga to score 40 goals.[129] In addition to the Pichichi Trophy, Ronaldo won the European Golden Shoe for a second time, becoming the first player to win the award in different leagues.[130]
During the following season, Ronaldo achieved a new personal best of 60 goals in all competitions.[131] He finished as runner-up to Messi for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or, after scoring hat-tricks against Real Zaragoza, Rayo Vallecano, Málaga, Osasuna and Sevilla, the last of which put Madrid on top of the league by the season’s midway point.[132][133][134] Ronaldo found greater team success in the league, helping Madrid win their first league title in four years with a record 100 points. Following a hat-trick against Levante as Madrid further increased their lead over Barcelona,[135] he scored his 100th league goal for Madrid in a 5–1 win over Real Sociedad on 24 March 2012, a milestone he reached in just 92 matches across three seasons, breaking the previous club record held by Ferenc Puskás.[136] Another hat-trick in the Madrid derby against Atlético Madrid brought his total to 40 league goals, equalling his record of the previous season.[137] His final league goal of the season, against Mallorca, took his total to 46 goals, four short of the new record set by Messi,[138] though he became the first player to score against all 19 opposition teams in a single La Liga season.[139]
Ronaldo began the 2012–13 season by lifting the 2012 Supercopa de España, his third trophy in Spain. With a goal in each leg, he helped Madrid win the Spanish Super Cup on away goals following a 4–4 aggregate draw against Barcelona.[140] Although Ronaldo publicly commented that he was unhappy with a “professional issue” within the club, prompted by his refusal to celebrate his 150th goal for Madrid,[141] his goalscoring rate did not suffer. After netting a hat-trick, including two penalties, against Deportivo, he scored his first hat-trick in the Champions League in a 4–1 win over Ajax.[142] Four days later, he became the first player to score in six successive Clásicos when he hit a brace in a 2–2 draw at Camp Nou.[143] His performances again saw Ronaldo voted second in the running for the 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or, behind four-time winner Messi.[144]
2013–2015: Consecutive Ballon d’Or wins and La Décima
Following the 2012–13 winter break, Ronaldo captained Madrid for the first time in an official match, scoring twice to lift 10-man Madrid to a 4–3 win over Sociedad on 6 January.[145] He subsequently became the first non-Spanish player in 60 years to captain Madrid in El Clasico on 30 January, a match which also marked his 500th club appearance.[146] Three days prior, he had scored his 300th club goal as part of a perfect hat-trick against Getafe.[147] He scored his 200th goal for Madrid on 8 May in a 6–2 win against Málaga, reaching the landmark in 197 games.[148] He helped Madrid reach the 2013 Copa del Rey Final by scoring twice in El Clásico, which marked the sixth successive match at Camp Nou in which he had scored,[149] a club record.[140] In the final, he headed the opening goal of an eventual 2–1 extra time defeat to Atlético, but was shown a red card for violent conduct.[150] In the first knockout round of the Champions League, Ronaldo faced his former club Manchester United for the first time. After scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at home,[151] he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win on his first return to Old Trafford.[152] He did not celebrate scoring against his former club as a mark of respect.[153] After scoring three goals against Galatasaray in the quarters, he scored Madrid’s only goal in the 4–1 away defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals and Real were eliminated at the semi-final stage for the third consecutive year despite a 2–0 win in the second leg.[154]
Ronaldo scored a record 17 UEFA Champions League goals during the 2013–14 season en route to La Décima.
At the start of the 2013–14 season, Ronaldo signed a new contract that extended his stay by three years to 2018, with a salary of €17 million net, making him briefly the highest-paid player in football.[155] He was joined at the club by winger Gareth Bale, whose world record transfer fee of €100 million surpassed the fee Madrid had paid for Ronaldo four years prior.[156] Together with striker Karim Benzema, they formed an attacking trio popularly dubbed “BBC”, an acronym of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano, and a play on the name of the British public service broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).[157] By late November, Ronaldo had scored 32 goals from 22 matches for both club and country, including hat-tricks against Galatasaray, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Northern Ireland, and Sweden.[158][159][160] He ended 2013 with 69 goals in 59 appearances, his highest year-end goal tally.[161] He received the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or, an amalgamation of the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award, for the first time in his career.[162]
Concurrently with his individual achievements, Ronaldo enjoyed his greatest team success in Spain to date, as he helped Madrid win La Décima, their tenth European Cup. His goal in a 3–0 home win over Dortmund (his 100th Champions League match) took his total for the season to 14 goals, equalling the record Messi had set two years before.[163] After hitting a brace in a 4–0 defeat of Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena,[164] he scored from the penalty spot in the 120th minute of the 4–1 final win over Atlético, becoming the first player to score in two European Cup finals for two different winning teams.[165] His overall performance in the final was subdued as a result of patellar tendinitis and related hamstring problems, which had plagued him in the last months of the campaign. Ronaldo played the final against medical advice, later commenting: “In your life you do not win without sacrifices and you must take risks”.[166] As the competition’s top goalscorer for the third time, with a record 17 goals,[167] he was named the UEFA Best Player in Europe.[168]
In the Copa del Rey, Ronaldo helped Madrid reach the final by scoring two penalties against Atlético at the Vicente Calderón,[169] the first of which meant he had now scored in every single minute of a 90-minute football match.[170] His continued issues with his knee and thigh caused him to miss the final, where Madrid defeated Barcelona 2–1 to claim the trophy.[171] Ronaldo scored 31 goals in 30 league games, which earned him the Pichichi and the European Golden Shoe, receiving the latter award jointly with Liverpool striker Luis Suárez.[172] Among his haul was his 400th career goal, in 653 appearances for club and country, which came with a brace against Celta Vigo on 6 January; he dedicated his goals to compatriot Eusébio, who had died two days before.[173] A last-minute, back-heeled volley scored against Valencia on 4 May (his 50th goal in all competitions) was recognised as the best goal of the season by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional,[174] which a
On 20 September 2020, Ronaldo scored in Juventus’s opening league match of the season, a 3–0 home win over Sampdoria.[264] On 1 November, having taken nearly three weeks to recover from COVID-19, he returned to action against Spezia; he came off the bench in the second half and scored within the first three minutes, before scoring a second goal from the penalty spot in an eventual 4–1 away win.[265] On 2 December, he scored a goal against Dynamo Kyiv in a Champions League group stage match, his 750th senior career goal.[266] Ronaldo played his 100th match in all competitions for Juventus on 13 December, scoring two penalties in a 3–1 away win over Genoa in the league to bring his goal tally to 79.[267] On 20 January 2021, Juventus won the 2020 Supercoppa Italiana after a 2–0 win against Napoli, with Ronaldo scoring the opening goal.[268] On 2 March, he scored a goal in a 3–0 win over Spezia in his 600th league match, to become the first player to score at least 20 goals in 12 consecutive seasons in the top five leagues of Europe.[269] On 14 March, he scored his 57th career hat-trick in a 3–1 away win over Cagliari.[270] On 12 May, Ronaldo scored a goal in a 3–1 away win over Sassuolo to reach his 100th goal for Juventus in all competitions on his 131st appearan
Published: Dec 4, 2022
Latest Revision: Dec 4, 2022
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