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Cristiano Ronaldo and goals are synonymous with one another and the Al Nassr attacker is the benchmark for every young forward who aspires to make it big.
Over the course of his 20-year career, the Portuguese has broken records wherever he played and he continues to do just that even at the age of 38. While Ronaldo will primarily be known for his stints at Real Madrid and Manchester United, he also shone when playing for Juventus and Sporting CP. His rivalry with PSG forward Lionel Messi during the last decade elevated football as a whole, giving spectators performances that may never be seen again.
His move to Saudi Arabia after his much-publicised Manchester United exit signalled a new chapter in Ronaldo's career. The Portuguese star finished his first season in Saudi Arabia with 14 goals in 19 starts for Al-Nassr, but that was not enough to fire his team to a trophy as Al-Ittihad won the Saudi Pro League table, while the Knights of Najd also fell short in the Saudi Super Cup and the King Cup. Having signed a host of world-class players including Sadio Mane and Marcelo Brozovic, Ronaldo will have better tools to inspire Al-Nassr to glory in the new 2023-24 campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo is an inspiration for many fans, some of who have risen through Manchester United's academy and gone on to play with their idol. When he arrived in 2003 as an 18-year-old prospect, Ronaldo wasn't really known for his goalscoring skills. Rather, he was more famous for his dribbling and flair. From 2006 onwards Ronaldo rapidly became the goalscorer we know. He was United's top scorer in the last three seasons of his first spell at Old Trafford, winning the Ballon d'Or in 2008 as a result, before moving to Real Madrid in 2009 as the then most-expensive player in football. Twelce years later, the prodigal son was back home, but returning as a veteran towards the end of his prime. However, despite his age, Ronaldo was again United's top scorer with 24 goals.
Ronaldo's move to Juventus in 2018 came as a shock to many. However, what didn't surprise people was how quickly he replicated his form for Real Madrid in Italy. While the trophies dried up a little, particularly the Champions League, Ronaldo remained the clinical goalscorer he was previously. During his second season, Ronaldo became the second-fastest player to reach 50 goals in Serie A, and overtook Rui Costa to become the highest-scoring Portuguese in the history of the competition. By his third season, Ronaldo had already reached a century of goals and was the top scorer in the league with 29 goals.
The transfer that changed football. While Neymar and Paul Pogba's transfers are associated with changing the transfer dynamics, Ronaldo's £80 million move to Real Madrid in 2009 transformed the sport as a whole. Ronaldo's time at Madrid brought more attention to La Liga and football overall. For many, it is the golden period of modern football, defined by his rivalry with then-Barcelona ace Lionel Messi. One does not know where to begin with Ronaldo's achievements during his stint in Spain. On the trophy front, Ronaldo led Madrid to Champions League success four times, while helping them win two La Liga titles. At an individual level, he won the Ballon d'Or four times, the most by a European player. With regards to goal scoring, he broke most records while playing for Los Blancos. In particular, the 2015-16 season saw him become the club's all-time top scorer and the highest scorer in the Champions League's history
Who knew the 17-year-old baby-faced winger who made his debut for Sporting CP in 2002 would go on to become one of the greatest players of all time? Ronaldo only spent one season playing at the senior level for Sporting without being much of a goalscorer, yet everyone from his youth coach to the great Sir Alex Ferguson could see the potential in him.
Often forwards are unable to replicate their club form for their national team. However, Ronaldo is an exception, who transitioned smoothly between playing for his clubs and Portugal. While he went without scoring in his debut year for the national side, since then Ronaldo hasn't stopped scoring, going on to become Portugal's highest scorer and the player with the most goals in international football. His goals have helped Portugal win the Euros in 2016 and the Nations League in 2019. bRonaldo's dream to win the World Cup, however, might just end up being a dream after all as Portugal crashed out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the quarter-finals stage.
Ronaldo is widely considered one of the greatest goal scorers of all time and has routinely broken records while playing at the highest level. Most of his success both individually and at the club level came with Real Madrid, but his stints with Manchester United and Juventus are something even the best of players dream of. For his country, Ronaldo has again been a phenomenal player, becoming Portugal's all-time top scorer. It took some time, but in the last decade, his goals on international duty have translated to trophies as well, with the 2016 Euros success placed possibly higher than his Champions League victories. With younger stars such as Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe emerging, Ronaldo is no longer quite at the forefront of football like in recent years, but only time will tell if the new stars can come close to achieving what he has.
Source: .goal.com/
