Cristiano Ronaldo

On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 Jul
y 2009 from Manchester United for 80 million (94 million) becoming the most expens
ive footballer in history,[206] after agreeing terms and signing a six-year cont
ract.[207] Ronaldo's contract was worth 11 million per year[208] and had a 1 billi
on buy-out clause.[209] He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid pla
yer on 6 July,[210] where he was handed the number 9 shirt.[211] The shirt was p
resented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stfano.[212] Ronaldo was welcomed by
between 80,000 and 85,000 fans at his presentation at the Santiago Bernabu Stadiu
m, surpassing Diego Maradona's record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in It
aly, after he was transferred from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984.[213]
Ronaldo and Real Madrid against Diego Forln and city rivals Atltico Madrid.
Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 10 win over Shamrock Rovers. His fi
rst goal came a week later with a penalty in Madrid's 42 win over LDU Quito.[214]
On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his La Liga debut with a goal, scoring Real's seco
nd from the penalty spot in a 32 home win against Deportivo La Corua.[215] On 15 S
eptember, Ronaldo scored two free kicks in a 52 away victory over Zrich, his first
Champions League goals for Real.[216] He broke a Madrid club record when he sco
red in a league match against Villarreal and thus became the first ever player t
o score in his first four La Liga appearances.[217]
An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international duty
with Portugal against Hungary, kept him out until 25 November, which in turn cau
sed him to miss both of Madrid's Champions League group stage matches against Mi
lan.[218][219] Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 10 El Clsico defeat t
o Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in
his Madrid career during Real's 42 victory against Almera, a match which also saw
him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirt during a goal ce
lebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later.[220]
Ronaldo was second in the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award and also seco
nd in the 2009 Ballon d'Or award. On 5 May 2010, Ronaldo scored his first Real M
adrid hat-trick in an away game against Mallorca.[221] Although his first season
at Real Madrid ended trophyless, Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuan scored 53 league goa
ls during the course of the season and became Real's highest scoring league duo
in their history.[222]
201011 season
With the departure of Ral during the summer of 2010, Ronaldo was handed the numbe
r 7 shirt for Real Madrid.[223] On 23 October 2010, Ronaldo scored four goals ag
ainst Racing de Santander, the most goals he had ever scored in a single match.[
224] This completed a goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (three in La Li
ga, one in the Champions League, and two for Portugal) in which Ronaldo scored i
n each match, totalling 11 goals, which is the most Ronaldo has scored in a sing
le month. On 20 November, Ronaldo scored his second La Liga hat-trick of the sea
son in a 51 win over Athletic Bilbao.[225] His final match of the calendar year s
aw him score a hat-trick in an 80 trashing of Levante in the Copa del Rey.[226]
Ronaldo during a friendly game against Pearol before the beginning of the season.
Ronaldo began 2011 with a very promising outlook, especially after Real Madrid a
cknowledged he had broken numerous goalscoring records, previously settled and h
eld by classic players such as Alfredo Di Stfano, Hugo Snchez, and Manuel Alday.[2
27][228] Ronaldo began his scoring spree by scoring two vital goals in a tight 32
victory away to Getafe.[229] He then consolidated his massive performances by s
coring a hat-trick and assisting Kak in a 42 victory over Villarreal on 9 January.
[230] On 3 March 2011, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in a 70 trashing of Mlaga, but w
as affected by a muscle injury at the end of the match, which forced him to spen
d 10 days on the sidelines.[231]
Ronaldo against Tottenham's (and future team-mate) Gareth Bale in the UEFA Champ
ions League.
In April, he made another massive comeback from injury, sustaining a three-game
scoring streak (including two goals in Champions League quarter-finals against T
ottenham Hotspur), thus arriving to the first of a historical series of four El
Clsico encounters two goals short of breaking his personal record of 42 goals in
all competitions in a single season.
During the second league edition of El Clsico, Ronaldo scored from the penalty sp
ot and took his tally to 41 goals, also taking his scoring streak to four games.
On 20 April, Ronaldo scored the winning goal against Barcelona in the 103rd min
ute of the Copa del Rey final.[232] On 7 May Ronaldo scored four goals in a 62 vi
ctory against Sevilla.[233] These four goals took him to 46 for the season which
surpassed his previous record of 42 in a season playing for Manchester United.[
234] Three days later he reached 49 goals for the season, by scoring another hat
-trick in a 40 home win against Getafe.[235] On 15 May, after scoring two free-ki
ck goals in a 31 win over Villarreal, he equalled the La Liga record with most go
als in a season with 38, a record previously held by Telmo Zarra and Hugo Snchez.
[236]
On 21 May, he scored two goals in the last league match of the season against Al
mera, taking his Pichichi total to 41, and La Liga total to 40, becoming the only
player to score 40 goals in a La Liga season.[237][238] By doing this, he won t
he European Golden Shoe award once again, becoming the first player to win the t
rophy in two different leagues.[239] The sports newspaper Marca, which awards th
e Pichichi Trophy, included the goal scored on 18 September 2010 against Real So
ciedad in Ronaldo's goal count, which had been officially attributed to Pepe.[24
0] Ronaldo also broke Zarra's record of most goals per minute, with a goal score
d every 70.7 minutes. Ronaldo's record-breaking figures became a source of major
attention from public media, such as being included in the Sports Illustrated W
orld XI,[241] rating him as one of the world's best footballers. Ronaldo ended h
is second season at Real Madrid with a total of 53 goals in all competitions.[24
2]
201112 season
On 17 August 2011, Ronaldo scored his 100th goal with Real Madrid with a first-h
alf equaliser against Barcelona in the second leg of the 2011 Spanish Supercup i
n the Camp Nou. On 27 August 2011, he opened the 201112 La Liga season with a hat
-trick in a 60 win at Real Zaragoza.[243] On 24 September, Ronaldo scored a hat-t
rick, including two penalties in Real Madrid's 62 win over Rayo Vallecano.[244] T
his was his ninth La Liga hat-trick and tenth hat-trick for Real Madrid. On 27 S
eptember, Ronaldo scored Real's opening goal in a 30 victory over Ajax in the UEF
A Champions League.[245]
After not scoring in his previous three games, Ronaldo scored his tenth La Liga
hat-trick in a match away to Mlaga on 22 October, which Real Madrid won 40.[246] H
is twelfth Real Madrid hat-trick followed on 6 November in a 71 victory over Osas
una.[247] On 26 November 2011, Ronaldo scored two penalties in a 41 defeat of Atlt
ico Madrid in the Madrid derby,[248] and then scored another hat-trick in a 62 wi
n away to Sevilla on 17 December 2011 to put Real Madrid back on top of the leag
ue.[249]
Ronaldo against Ajax during their group stage match in the UEFA Champions League
on 27 September 2011.
Ronaldo was third in the 201011 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, behind Lionel M
essi and Xavi, and second in the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or, behind Lionel Messi and
ahead of Xavi. In Real Madrid's next game in La Liga at home to Granada Ronaldo
scored the fifth goal in a 51 win. On 22 January 2012, Ronaldo scored two penalti
es in a 41 win over Athletic Bilbao, and on 28 January scored Real Madrid's secon
d goal in a 31 win against Zaragoza. Ronaldo also scored two goals against Barcel
ona in the Copa del Rey Quarter-finals, which Real lost 43 on aggregrate. On 12 F
ebruary 2012, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in a 42 home win over Levante which stre
tched Real Madrid's lead over Barcelona to 10 points.[250]
On 24 March 2012, Ronaldo reached more than 100 goals in La Liga in just three s
easons at Real Madrid when he scored the first of his two goals in the match aga
inst Real Sociedad, the second quickest La Liga player to reach that milestone i
n the league after Isidro Lngara, reaching the milestone in 92 matches and breaki
ng the previous club record held by Pusks.[251]
On 11 April, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Atltico Madrid in a 41 win, as wel
l as assisting the last goal.[252] His hat-trick, one goal from a free kick, one
from 30 yards on the left wing and one penalty, gave him 40 league goals in the
season, making him the only player in La Liga history, or in any other major Eu
ropean league, to score 40 goals in two seasons. Ronaldo officially broke his pr
evious record of 40 goals in a La Liga season on 14 April, scoring in a 31 win ag
ainst Sporting Gijn. On 25 April, in the second leg of the semi-finals in the 201
112 UEFA Champions League against Bayern Munich, Ronaldo scored two goals, includ
ing a penalty. Extra time ended with the tie level at 33, and Real Madrid were el
iminated in the shootout with Ronaldo's kick being saved by Manuel Neuer.[253]
On 13 May 2012, the last matchday, Ronaldo scored against Mallorca which made hi
m the first player ever to score against every team in a single season in La Lig
a.[16] He ended his third season at Real Madrid by winning his first league titl
e with the club, with a record 100 points, notching a total of 46 league goals a
nd 60 goals in all competitions, breaking the Real Madrid record he had set the
previous season. Real Madrid's attacking trio of Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonz
alo Higuain became the most prolific trio in Spanish league history, scoring 89
league goals, and surpassed the 72 league goals of Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Sam
uel Eto'o and Thierry Henry from the 200809 season.[254]
201213 season
Ronaldo during a friendly game against Milan before the beginning of the season.
Ronaldo started the season by lifting the Supercopa de Espaa with Real Madrid, sc
oring two goals in a 44 away goals aggregate win against Barcelona. The goal in t
he first leg made him the first Madrid player in the history of El Clsico to scor
e for the fourth game in a row at the Camp Nou,[255] with the winning goal in th
e second leg, Ronaldo equalled the Real Madrid record of Ivn Zamorano of scoring
in five consecutive El Clsico matches.[256] On 30 August, Ronaldo was second (tie
d with Lionel Messi) in the 201112 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award with 17 votes
, behind winner Andrs Iniesta.[257]
On 2 September 2012, Ronaldo scored his first two league goal of the season in a
30 win over Granada, with the second being 150th goal for Real Madrid.[258] This
goal made him the 10th highest scorer for Real Madrid in all competitions. Rona
ldo was substituted at the 63rd minute by team mate Gonzalo Higuan, due to a mino
r thigh injury. Afterwards, Ronaldo claimed that he was unhappy with a "professi
onal issue" after he refused to celebrate his 149th and 150th goals for the club
. This led to reports of controversy between the player and the club, with coach
Jos Mourinho believing that UEFA's decision to elect Iniesta as the best player
in Europe in 201112 could have been one of the reasons behind Ronaldo's unhappine
ss.[259]
On 18 September, Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season in
a 32 victory over Manchester City. On 30 September, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick (
including two penalties), his first La Liga hat-trick of the season in a 51 win o
ver Deportivo de La Corua. On 4 October, Ronaldo scored his first career hat-tric
k in the Champions League as he led Real Madrid to a 41 victory over Ajax.[260] H
e hit a brace four dats later against Barcelona in a 22 draw at Camp Nou, making
him the first and only player to score in six consecutive El Clsicos.[261] On 1 D
ecember, after not scoring in his previous three games, Ronaldo scored a goal fr
om a free kick and assisted zil to score the second goal in a 20 victory over Atlti
co Madrid.[262]
If Messi is the best on the planet, Ronaldo is the best in the universe. If you
are going to give out the Ballon d'Or because a player is the best, give it to C
ristiano or Messi. But I ask: if the two are on the same level, is it normal tha
t one wins four and the other one? It is not.

Jos Mourinho, when asked about the 2012 Ballon d'Or.[263]

On 6 January, following the 201213 winter break, Ronaldo scored a brace to lift 1
0-man Real Madrid to a 43 victory over Real Sociedad. The match represented the f
irst time that Ronaldo captained Real Madrid in an official match,[264] but rece
ived his fifth yellow card of the season and was suspended for the team's next l
eague game at Osasuna serving a one-game ban. This was the first time Ronaldo wa
s suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards, having only previously missed g
ames when being given a straight red card.[265] On 7 January, he was second in t
he 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or, for the fourth time behind Lionel Messi.[266] On 9 Jan
uary, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Celta Vigo in the second leg of a Copa
del Rey game.[267] Following a first leg victory over Valencia in the Copa del R
ey on 15 January, Ronaldo got into an argument with manager Jos Mourinho.[268][26
9] On 27 January, Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trick against Getafe in a 40 win,
including his 300th club goal.[270] On 30 January, against Barcelona in the Copa
del Rey, Ronaldo made his 500th club appearances. He was the first non-Spanish
to captain Real Madrid in a Clsico in the last 60 years.[271]
Ronaldo faced his former club Manchester United for the first time on 13 Februar
y in the Champions League Round of 16 and scored the equaliser in a 11 draw at th
e Santiago Bernabu.[272] On 21 February, Ronaldo scored another hat-trick against
Sevilla, his 21st hat-trick of his career and his 17th in La Liga.[273] On 26 F
ebruary, Ronaldo scored twice against Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa de
l Rey semi-finals, making this the sixth consecutive trip to the Camp Nou in whi
ch he had scored.[274] Ronaldo then scored the winning goal in a 21 victory again
st Manchester United on 5 March, which was his return to Old Trafford for the fi
rst time since his world-record 80 million move to Real Madrid in 2009.[275] Ther
eafter, Ronaldo stated he was "sad" and had a "strange feeling" after his goal k
nocked Manchester United out of the Champions League.[276]
On 10 March, Ronaldo struck twice against Celta Vigo to send Real Madrid above c
ity rivals Atltico into second place in La Liga.[277] The second goal, his 138 go
al in La Liga, earned him a place in the top 25 goalscorers in the history of La
Liga in just 127 games, recording an average of 1.08 goals per game, the highes
t of all the top 25 goalscorers.[278] On 16 March, Ronaldo scored the equaliser
in a 52 victory against Mallorca, which was his 350 goal in his career.[278][279]
On 3 April, Ronaldo scored the opening goal against Galatasaray in the first le
g of the Champions League quarter-finals.[280] On 9 April, Ronaldo scored twice
in the second leg against Galatasaray to send Real Madrid to the semi-finals in
the Champions League, winning 53 on aggregate.[281]
Ronaldo picked up an a thigh muscle injury while warming up for the UEFA Champio
ns League semi-final first leg on 24 April, where he scored an away goal in a 41
defeat to Borussia Dortmund.[282] He was absent from Real Madrid's next game aga
inst Atltico Madrid, but returned to action on 30 April for the 20 second leg vict
ory against Dortmund (a 43 aggregate defeat).[283] On 4 May, Ronaldo scored two h
eaders against Real Valladolid in a 43 home win.[284] The British media reported
that Manchester United chief executive David Gill was in Madrid to talk with Ron
aldo's agent about a return to Old Trafford,[285] but other media outlets report
ed that United would struggle to re-sign him after the announcement of Alex Ferg
uson's retirement as manager of Manchester United.[286]
Ronaldo scored his 200th goal for Real Madrid on 8 May in a 62 win against Mlaga.
This figure made him sixth in the list of the club's all-time top scorers and th
e player that took fewest matches (197) to reach 200 goals.[287] On 17 May, Rona
ldo headed the opening goal from a Mesut zil corner in the 14th minute of the eve
ntual 21 Copa del Rey final defeat to Atletico Madrid, which was also his 111 goa
l (201 overall) in his 100th home appearance.[288] He was shown a straight red c
ard in the 114th minute of extra time of the final for an altercation with Gabi.
[289] He was charged for the accumulation of yellow cards and violent conduct by
the RFEF, banned for the two games in the last 16 of the 201314 Copa del Rey.[29
0]
Ronaldo ended his fourth season at Real Madrid as the Champions League top goals
corer for a second time in his career with 12 goals. In the league, Real Madrid
failed to defend their La Liga title, finishing runners up to arch-rivals Barcel
ona, and were eliminated in the semi-finals in the UEFA Champions League for the
third consecutive year. Accounting for all competitions, Ronaldo ended the seas
on with a total of 55 goals, having scored 19 goals with his right foot (excludi
ng free kicks and penalty kicks), 16 with his left foot and 9 with his head.[291
]
201314 season
Ronaldo against Galatasaray during their group stage match in the UEFA Champions
League on 17 September 2013.
Real Madrid's failure to win major silverware last season and reports of divisio
n in the dressing room had prompted speculation that Ronaldo, whose contract run
s until June 2015, might be seeking a move away from the Spanish capital.[292][2
93][294] On 8 June, Ronaldo moved to quell the speculation over his future by in
sisting that he would reach a deal to renew his contract with Real Madrid.[295]
On 3 July, Ronaldo admitted that he was missing the English Premier League, but
ruled out an imminent move back to Old Trafford.[296]
On 18 August, Ronaldo made his 200th competitive appearance for Real Madrid in a
21 home win over Real Betis.[297] Ronaldo had not scored during the first two le
ague games, but against Athletic Bilbao on 1 September 2013, he scored his first
of the season in a 31 home victory.[298]
After months of speculation surrounding his future,[299] Ronaldo signed a new co
ntract with Real Madrid on 15 September that would keep him at the club until 20
18, with a salary of 17 million (after taxes), making him the highest paid player
in football.[300][301]
On 17 September, Ronaldo scored the second Champions League hat-trick of his car
eer in Real Madrid's opening group match of the 201314 UEFA Champions League, a 61
away win against Galatasaray.[302] On 22 September, Ronaldo scored a brace in a
41 home victory against Getafe CF, with his second goal coming from a backheel w
hich made him the fifth highest scorer in the club's history with 208 goals.[303
] In his 100th game in the European competitions against Copenhagen on 2 October
, Ronaldo scored a brace as Real Madrid went on to a 40 home victory.[304] On 5 O
ctober 2013, Ronaldo scored a 94th-minute winner against Levante.[305] On 23 Oct
ober, Ronaldo scored twice in a 21 home victory against Juventus to become the Ch
ampions League's third all-time highest goalscorer with 57 goals.[306] On 30 Oct
ober, Ronaldo scored his 18th La Liga hat-trick in a 73 home win against Sevilla.
[307]
In a debate at Oxford Union in October, when asked whether FIFA president Sepp B
latter preferred Messi or Ronaldo, Blatter paid tribute to the work ethic of the
Argentine before taking a swipe at Ronaldo, claiming "one of them has more expe
nses for the hairdresser than the other". Real Madrid demanded and promptly rece
ived a full apology, and the Portuguese issued his own riposte with a mock-salut
e celebration after scoring a penalty against Sevilla, after Blatter had describ
ed him as a "commander" on the pitch.[308]
In his 106 away appearances for Real Madrid on 2 November, Ronaldo scored his 10
0th away goal as he hit a brace in a 32 away victory against Rayo Vallecano, aver
aging 0.94 per game.[309] On 5 November 2013, Ronaldo broke the record held for
Champions League goals scored in a calendar year with 14 goals, after he equalis
ed for Real Madrid in a 22 draw at Juventus. On 9 November 2013, Ronaldo scored h
is 19th La Liga hat-trick (one from open play, a penalty and a direct free kick)
in a 51 home victory against Real Sociedad, which made him second in the all tim
e League hat-trick list. The direct free kick was his 20th direct free kick goal
for Real Madrid, one more than free kick specialist Ronaldinho scored with Barc
elona.[310]
After his strong form in the 201314 campaign by which he had scored 32 goals from
22 matches played for both club and country by the middle of November, includin
g five hat-tricks, Ronaldo suggested that he could be in the "best form of his l
ife".[311] On 23 November 2013, Ronaldo was replaced by Jes in the 52nd minute ag
ainst Almera after suffering a muscle strain, which would keep him out for one to
two weeks.[312] Ronaldo made his return in a 20 away victory against Copenhagen
in the Champions League on 10 December and went on to break the record for most
goals scored in the Champions League group stages with 9 goals.[313] His final m
atch of the calendar year saw him score a header in a 32 away win against Valenci
a, ending the year with a tally of 69 goals in 59 appearance, his highest year-e
nd goal tally.[314][315] With the goal, he became the club's fourth top scorer i
n the league with 164 league goals, equalling the tally gained by Hugo Snchez. He
also become the second top scorer in matches played away from home with 72 goal
s, 15 behind the record holder Ral with 87.[316]
Ronaldo is a unique player for all of his talent and his professionalism. He is
a player who is extraordinarily consistent.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.[317]

In Real Madrid's first match following the 201314 winter break, Ronaldo score a b
race in a 30 home victory against Celta Vigo, including his 400th professional ca
reer goal in 653 games for club and country. He dedicated his two goals to Eusbio
, who had died two days before.[17] On 13 January 2014, Ronaldo won the 2013 FIF
A Ballon d'Or, beating Lionel Messi, who had won the prize the previous four yea
rs, and Franck Ribry.[318] This was his second Ballon d'Or overall, becoming the
10th multiple winner of the football's top individual prize. He also became the
third player to win the award after playing at least a full calendar year at Rea
l Madrid.[319] Ronaldo had been runner-up on another four occasions: 2007, 2009,
2011 and 2012.[320] A tearful Ronaldo described receiving the accolade as "no w
ords to describe this moment" and "it's hard to win this award".[321] The achiev
ement fuelled media to recognise Ronaldo as one of the greatest players in footb
all history,[322][323][324] with Pel stating that Ronaldo must continue to mainta
in his exceptional high standards.[325]
On 11 February 2014, in the Spanish Cup's semifinals second leg, Ronaldo scored
a brace in a 20 away win against Atltico Madrid to surpass Luis Aragons as the top
scorer in the history of 'Copa' games between Real and Atltico with 5 goals.[326]
His seventh minute penalty meant Ronaldo had scored in every single minute of a
90 minute football match.[327] With a brace against Schalke 04 in a 61 victory o
n 26 February 2014, Ronaldo become the first player to score 10 or more goals in
3 consecutive Champions League campaigns.[328]
Ronaldo playing against Atletico Madrid in September 2013.
On 15 March 2014, after he scored the only goal of the match against Mlaga, Ronal
do become the first player to score 25 goals in five consecutive league seasons.
[329] On 18 March 2014, Ronaldo scored two goals against Schalke 04 in the secon
d leg of the Champions League's round-of16, allowing him to surpass his personal
record of 12 goals in a single UEFA Champions League season, putting him just on
e behind Lionel Messi's record of 14 goals from the 201112 season. On 29 March 20
14, with a goal against Rayo Vallecano, Ronaldo equalled Lionel Messi's record o
f scoring in 10 consecutive games.[330]
In Ronaldo's 100th Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund on 2 April 2
014,[331] he scored his record-equalling 14th Champions League goal of the seaso
n in a 30 home victory, which also tied him with Alfredo Di Stfano as Real Madrid'
s joint second top scorer in European competition with 49 goals, behind only Ral
with 66 goals.[332] With the goal, Ronaldo also became the first player to score
in 8 consecutive Champions League matches.[333] Ronaldo was substituted with 10
minutes to play due to a thigh injury, and missed four matches, including Real
Madrid's Copa del Rey final victory against Barcelona at Mestalla Stadium.[334]
Ronaldo made his return on 23 April 2014 in the Champions League semi-final firs
t leg win over Bayern Munich.[335] He scored a brace in the next match against O
sasuna, his 100th and 101st league goals at the Santiago Bernabu.[336] On 29 Apri
l 2014, with his two goals against Bayern Munich in a 40 away win at the Allianz
Arena for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, Ronaldo set a new r
ecord by becoming the first player to score 16 goals in a single Champions Leagu
e/European Cup season.[337] On 4 May 2014, Ronaldo scored a last-minute backheel
in the 22 home draw with Valencia, to bring his goals total to 50 for the fourth
consecutive season.[338] In the Champions League final against cross-town rival
Atltico Madrid, he became the first player in history to score in two European C
up finals for two different winning teams, as Los Blancos won their tenth Europe
an Cup.[339] Ronaldo was the competition's top goalscorer for the second consecu
tive season and third overall, with a record 17 goals in a single season as well
as a total of 67 goals.[340]
Ronaldo finished the season with 31 goals in 30 league games, winning the Pichic
hi as the top goalscorer in Spain, and shared the European Golden Shoe with Live
rpool striker Luis Surez.[341]
201415 season
In your life you do not win without sacrifices and you must take risks. If I had
stopped I would have been fine. I did not want to miss the final of the Champio
ns League or the World Cup. I was not fully fit, but I forced the issue.

Ronaldo, on his patellar tendinitis problems.[342]

Following his patellar tendinitis problems that troubled him during the last few
games of the 201314 season and at the 2014 FIFA World Cup,[343] Ronaldo scored t
wice in Los Blancos' first competitive game of the season (a 20 victory) against
Sevilla in the 2014 UEFA Super Cup.[344] With his two goals, Ronaldo tied second
in the list of top scorers in European club competitions with 70 goals.[345] Af
ter the opening game of the La Liga season, where he scored the second in a 20 ho
me win against Crdoba, Carlo Ancelotti announced that Ronaldo would do "specific
work to improve his condition."[346]
On 28 August 2014, Ronaldo won the 201314 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, after
making the final three nominees in each of the four years that the accolade was
held.[347] He returned to action in a 21 defeat to Atltico Madrid on September 13
, where he played on the right wing, notching up 10 crosses into the box, more t
han any other player on the pitch.[348]
On 20 September, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Deportivo in an 82 away win,[
349] scoring his first goal at the Estadio Riazor.[350] It was his 20th La Liga
hat-trick, two away from Telmo Zarra and Alfredo Di Stfano's all-time record of 2
2 hat-tricks.[351] Ronaldo also equalled Lionel Messi's record of hat-tricks awa
y from home with seven hat-tricks.[352] Three days later he scored four goals, i
ncluding two penalties, in a 51 victory against Elche. This was his 25th hat-tric
k for Real Madrid in all competitions, 3 hat-tricks behind the record holder, Al
fredo Di Stfano.[353] Having scored seven goals in 72 hours his coach Carlo Ancel
otti stated: "The movements he makes are very quick and that's why they come as
a surprise. He is always in just the right position because he has a unique gift
for movement".[354] With 186 goals in 169 La Liga matches, Ronaldo broke into t
he top ten scorers in La Liga.[355]
On 5 October, he scored yet another hat-trick, this time against Athletic Bilbao
in a 50 win.[356] With two goals against Levante in a 50 win, Ronaldo set a recor
d scoring start in a Spanish league season, increasing his league-leading tally
to 15 goals in eight rounds despite missing one game due to injury.[357] On 22 O
ctober away at Liverpool, where he scored the opening goal in a 3-0 win, Ronaldo
become the first player to score in ten consecutive Champions League away games
and equalled Messi's record of scoring in 22 different stadiums in Europe.[358]
With his strike against Barcelona in a 3-1 home victory three days later, Ronal
do had scored 15 goals in his last seven league games, breaking the Real Madrid
record set by Ferenc Puskas who scored 13 times across seven consecutive league
matches in both the 1959-60 and 1960-61 seasons,[359] and extended his goal-scor
ing run to 11 consecutive games.[360]