Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo 101 – A tribute
By Hasan Karim
Following the victory over Paris-Saint Germain on Wednesday night, Real Madrid has given themselves a great advantage going into the second leg in Paris. Los Blancos bagged three goals on the night, one from Marcelo and two history defining goals from Cristiano Ronaldo. Following yet another historical night from the forward, we are going to look back on his 101 goals for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo’s very first Champions League goal came against FC Zurich in 2009. This was his debut game for the club in the competition following his then world record transfer from Manchester United. He scored two goals on the night, his 17th and 18th in the competition including his Man United UCL goals.
From that point on, Ronaldo has gone onto net 99 goals for Los Blancos in 95 appearances in the prestigious tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo's 116 #UCL goals per body part:
— TheCristianoFan 🇵🇹 (@TheCristianoFan) February 14, 2018
Right Foot - 79 goals
Left Foot - 16 goals
*Left Knee - 1 goal
Head - 19 goals pic.twitter.com/pfqLahd6bf
Who has CR7 scored on? (stats are as recent as 2/14/18):
9 – Bayern Munich
7 – Schalke, Ajax, Juventus
6 – Malmo, Galatasaray, Borussia Dortmund
5 – Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk
4 – Marseille, Lyon, Atletico Madrid, APOEL
3 – Dynamo Kiev, Sporting Lisbon, CSKA Moscow, Copenhagen, Wolfsburg
2 – Sevilla, AC Milan, Arsenal, Zurich, Tottenham, Manchester United, Basle, Ludogorets, PSG
1 – Debrecen, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Porto, Auxerre, Manchester City, Liverpool
The Portuguese legend has scored in 15 different countries – a list of 24 different cities. Stunningly, Ronaldo has unleashed his goalscoring wrath on 32 different clubs.
Alongside his stellar record against so many top teams, Ronaldo also boasts some incredible individual records:
Cristiano Ronaldo records in the #UCL:
— TheCristianoFan 🇵🇹 (@TheCristianoFan) February 14, 2018
Goals ✅
Final Goals ✅
Home Goals ✅
Away Goals ✅
Free-Kicks ✅
Penalties ✅
Braces ✅
Hat-Tricks ✅
Group Stage Goals ✅
KO Stage Goals ✅
Group Stage Goals in a season ✅
KO Stage Goals in a season ✅
His competition 🔥 (via @Twitugal) pic.twitter.com/gTwpea6Vzf
Despite a rough start to the season, Ronaldo has come alive when the team needed him most. With the majority of footballing fans writing off Ronaldo and Madrid in this tie, they were all proven wrong.
Whilst Ronaldo may not have had the best of performances in this game – he provided the goods expected of a big game player in such a crucial scenario just like he has so many times before. Not only did he break records Wednesday night, he also breathed life into a season that many had already given up on.
Ronaldo symbolizes heart and determination. He’s a leader on the pitch and in the locker room.
Through the great highs, we laud his name. Through the crushing lows, we slam his name. However, despite all that, he is arguably the greatest player this club has ever seen. The insane numbers, the highlight reel moments, and the unbridled success – he is a face on the club’s Mount Rushmore.
Once again, he provided us fans with utter joy. From the moment he placed the ball on the penalty spot for the first goal – right through to the moment he marauded into the box and put the ball in to win the game for the team.
He’s done the same thing 99 times before and we can hope that he continues to do it another 99 times.