Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid

It’s hard to put in words what Cristiano Ronaldo has accomplished with Real Madrid since he landed in Spain, back in the summer of 2009. In roughly 4 and a half seasons playing for the Merengues, the Portuguese forward has already scored 239 goals in 234 appearances, which is allowing him to maintain a goal-scoring ratio slightly above 1 goal per game. He also been incredibly decisive in Portugal’s campaign to qualify for the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup that will be hosted in Brazil, with his high point being his performances against Sweden in last year’s two-legged playoff, where he scored every single goal (4) for his nation. Portugal made it through to next summer’s World Cup, while Real Madrid appears to be in great form now that we’re entering the decisive stages of the season. If we were still in the beginning of the season, Ronaldo couldn’t have asked to be in a better situation by now.

Just as he has been doing on a regular basis over the past years, Cristiano Ronaldo keeps breaking major records as his career progresses. He recently became Portugal’s all-time top scorer (with 49 goals) and in less than two years, he’ll most likely also become the most capped football player of his country (Ronaldo has 110, while Figo is still first with 127). In Real Madrid, CR7 is currently the club’s 5th top goalscorer ever with 239 goals, but he already has Raúl’s impressive record of 323 goals on his sight. If he keeps scoring as he has for the past few years, it might take him less than 2 more seasons to dethrone Raúl as Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer.

Ronaldo, "Calm Down"

This season has been no different from others for Ronaldo. The 29-year old forward has been leaving his mark in almost every league game in Spain and is currently the competition’s top scorer, with 24 goals out of 23 appearances. In Europe, his form has been truly devastating as well… In the 6 matches Ronaldo has stepped onto the pitch during this Champions League campaign, he already netted 11 goals for his side. He’s currently only 3 goals short from Lionel Messi’s record for the “most goals scored in a single season of the UCL” (14), and with Real Madrid’s qualification for the competition’s quarter-finals virtually assured by now (after having won by 1-6 against Schalke 04 in the 1st leg played in Germany), it seems only fair to assume that Ronaldo may very well be on the verge of setting another remarkable record if things keep going the Merengues’ way.

This season only, Ronaldo has already found the back of the net for Real Madrid in 38 different occasions. With at least 13 more matches left to be played in La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League (all combined), the former Manchester United winger still has legitimate hopes of beating his own mark of 60 goals in a season (obtained in 2011-12). This sounds even more realistic if we bear in mind that the Merengues’ European campaign can still be extended in 5 extra games, which will happen only in the case that Real Madrid does reach the final this May 24th, set to be played in Lisbon. Ronaldo would then need to bag 23 more goals throughout those 17 games that would be left.

Ronaldo vs. Levante

Nevertheless, and whether or not, Cristiano Ronaldo ends up winning some silverware for Real Madrid in the months to come, this season’s pinnacle will definitely be next summer’s FIFA World Cup. This might be one of Ronaldo’s last chances to finally win a big tournament for Portugal, but in order to make that happen, a true miracle will have to be produced in Brazil. The Portuguese National Team is far from being rated as one of the front-line’s favorites to lift the WC trophy next July 13, but if for some magical reason the “Lusitanos” manage to achieve such feat, Cristiano Ronaldo will surely cement his legendary status even further.

 

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