[273] He finished his second Serie A campaign with a total of 31 goals and 6 assists, which made him the second–highest goalscorer in the league behind only European Golden Shoe winner Ciro Immobile, with 36 goals, who also equalled Gonzalo Higuaín's record for most goals in a single Serie A season. [188] His record 23rd hat-trick in La Liga, scored against Celta Vigo on 6 December, made him the fastest player to reach 200 goals in the Spanish league, as he reached the milestone in only his 178th game. [note 6] After winning his first Ballon d'Or by a record-high vote count at age 23, the public debate regarding his qualities as a player moved beyond his status in contemporary football to the possibility that he was one of the greatest players of all time. [251] On 20 April, Ronaldo played in the Scudetto clinching game against rivals Fiorentina as Juventus won their eighth successive Serie A title after a 2–1 home win, thereby becoming the first player to win league titles in England, Spain and Italy. [296][297], One day after his 22nd birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly game against Brazil on 6 February 2007,[298] as requested by Portuguese Football Federation president Carlos Silva, who had died two days earlier. This graph shows the assists given by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo depending on their age, as if they were born in the same year. In the latter match, he overtook Luís Figo as his nation's most capped player with his 128th international appearance, which ended scoreless after he missed a penalty in the second half. [363], On 31 August 2017, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 win in a World Cup qualifier over the Faroe Islands, which saw him overtake Pelé and equal Hussein Saeed as the joint-fifth-highest goalscorer in international football with 78 goals. Nacional renamed its youth campus Cristiano Ronaldo Campus Futebol (Cristiano Ronaldo Football Campus). [55] Ronaldo clashed with a teammate, striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who took offence at the winger's showboating style of play. ", "Cristiano Ronaldo says he has no idea how much money he has", "Rio Ferdinand claims Cristiano Ronaldo was once blasted by Sir Alex Ferguson for playing selfishly", "Wayne Rooney Hits Out At 'Selfish' Cristiano Ronaldo, Shrugs Off Scholes' 'Strange' Criticism", "Blood, sweat and toil: The foundations for the legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo", "Ronaldo admits perceived arrogance has cost him", "Jose Mourinho claims Cristiano Ronaldo deserved to win Ballon d'Or", "Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo's improved image helped win, says Guillem Balague", "How to do the 12 new FIFA 18 celebrations – plus more of our favourites", "Chronology of Cristiano Ronaldo Told Through His Goal Celebrations", "Everyone mocks Cristiano Ronaldo's new goal celebration, including his own son", "What does Cristiano Ronaldo's goal celebration mean? [202] He subsequently became the first player to score double figures in the competition's group stage, setting the record at 11 goals, including another four-goal haul against Malmö. [370] In Portugal's second game on 20 June, Ronaldo scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory against Morocco, breaking Puskás' record. [525] His mother, Dolores, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 but eventually recovered. [462] His 'Siiii' goal celebration features in the FIFA series, accompanied with his own voiceover. In the info box, you can filter by period, club, type of league and competition. ", "Cristiano Ronaldo: Juventus sign Real Madrid forward for £99.2m", "Cristiano Ronaldo: I left Real Madrid because of president Florentino Pérez", "Juve, Ronaldo e Mandukic: che simbiosi. [184] 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 de Fútbol Profesional,[185] which additionally named Ronaldo the Best Player in La Liga. [254], Ronaldo scored his first goal of the 2019–20 season for Juventus in a 4–3 home win over Napoli in Serie A on 31 August 2019. With a goal in each leg by the Portuguese, Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup on away goals following a 4–4 aggregate draw against Barcelona. [443][444], Some commentators choose to analyse the differing physiques and playing styles of the two,[445] while part of the debate revolves around the contrasting personalities of the two players: Ronaldo is sometimes depicted as an arrogant and theatrical showoff, while Messi is portrayed as a shy, humble character. ", "Cristiano Ronaldo downs a double to join the party spirit", "Euro 2012: Cristiano Ronaldo's header sends Portugal into semi-finals with 1–0 win over Czech Republic", "Euro 2012 Full-time Report: Portugal-Netherlands (2–1)", "Euro 2012: Defending champion Spain advances to another final after beating Portugal 4–2 on penalties", "Euro 2012: Cristiano Ronaldo's save-it-for-later approach hurts Portugal", "Euro 2012: Cristiano Ronaldo says coach told him to take fifth penalty", "Portugal vs. Spain Euro 2012: 5 Most to Blame for Portugal's Penalty Collapse", "Portugal vs. Spain Penalty Failure: Cristiano Ronaldo Shouldn't Have Been Last", "Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Bento, And The Optimal Penalty Shootout Order", "Ronaldo shares blame for Portugal placing him fifth in shootout in Euro semifinal loss to Spain", "Portugal winger Nani suggests that Ronaldo demanded the fifth penalty against Spain to take the glory", "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship", "Cristiano Ronaldo makes a 'hat-trick' and is now the second top goal scorer in history for the Portuguese national team", "Cristiano Ronaldo showed 'I am here' after stunning hat-trick for Portugal in World Cup play-off against Sweden", "Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick fires Portugal past battling Sweden", "Records come naturally to me, says Ronaldo", "Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo suffering from tendinosis before World Cup", "Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal star defies medics who warn playing against USA could end his career", "Cristiano Ronaldo film captures giant ego and strange, lonely world of being CR7", "World Cup 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo limps out of training", "Ronaldo '100 percent fit' for U.S. game", "Cristiano Ronaldo produces last gasp moment of magic to keep hopes alive", "Cristiano Ronaldo is the first Portuguese to score in three final stages", "European Championship's all-time top scorers", "Euro 2016: What's wrong with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo? [396] Initially deployed as a centre forward by managers Manuel Pellegrini and José Mourinho, he was later moved back onto the left wing, though in a free tactical role; this position allowed him to drift into the centre at will to get onto the end of crosses and score, or draw out defenders with his movement off the ball and leave space for teammates to exploit. [511][509] A year later, sports website Bleacher Report commissioned sculptor Emanuel Santos to create another bust. [403] Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo's unique style of taking free kicks, former Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan has commented: "People used to put the ball down, walk away, run up and hit it. When he pulls those shorts up and shows his thighs, he is saying 'All eyes on me' and this is going in. [24] A year later, on 7 October 2002, Ronaldo made his debut in the Primeira Liga, against Moreirense, and scored two goals in their 3–0 win. [127] His haul concluded a goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (three in La Liga, one in the Champions League, and two for Portugal) totalling 11 goals, the most he had scored in a single month. Well until the statistics to this day the GLORIOUS and The GREAT Ronaldo has 178 assists compared to Messi’s 201 (but this doesn't mean Messi is better we all know Ronaldo is … Attacking Midfield, Former International: [479] As of July 2019[update], he has the world's biggest Facebook fanbase with 122 million followers:[479] he became the first sportsperson to reach 50 million followers in August 2010,[480] and in October 2014, he became the first sportsperson, and the second person after Shakira, to reach 100 million followers. The "Detailed stats" tab shows a player's total appearances, goals, cards and cumulative minutes of play for each competition, and indicates the season in which it occurred. With his 75th international goal, Ronaldo also equalled Sándor Kocsis as the second-highest European international goalscorer of all-time, behind only Ferenc Puskás. [276] However, despite the victory, Juventus tied with Lyon 2–2 on aggregate, and were eliminated from the competition on the away goals rule. In 2009, Ronaldo was the subject of the then-most expensive association football transfer when signed for Real Madrid in a transfer worth €94 million (£80 million). Moreover, he became the oldest player, at the age of 35 years and 166 days, to score more than 30 goals in one of the five top European leagues since Ronnie Rooke with Arsenal in 1948. On 17 May, Ronaldo overtook Jimmy Greaves as the all-time top scorer in the top five European leagues, scoring twice against Celta de Vigo. [259], Ronaldo scored his first Serie A hat-trick on 6 January 2020, in a 4–0 home win against Cagliari. [110] His final ever goal for Manchester United came on 10 May 2009 with a free kick in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. Pass or shot deflected by a defender that ends in goal of a teammate However, because Messi has a clear ascendancy when it comes to assists, this often leads people to fall into the trap of underestimating Ronaldo's proficiency in this area. [187], At the start of his seventh season at Real Madrid, the 2015–16 campaign, Ronaldo became the club's all-time top scorer, first in the league and then in all competitions. [193] In the latter competition, Ronaldo extended his run of scoring away to a record 12 matches with his strike in a 2–0 win against Schalke 04. [473] ESPN named Ronaldo the world's most famous athlete in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. He was awarded the Silver Boot as the joint second-highest goalscorer, with three goals and three assists, and was named to the team of the tournament for the third time in his career.