Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM (European Portuguese: [kɾiʃˈtjɐnu ʁoˈnaɫdu]; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional [footballer] who plays as a [forward] for Italian club [Juventus] and the [Portugal national team]. Often considered the best player in the world and regarded by many as one of the [greatest players of all time],[4][5][6] Ronaldo has a record-tying five [Ballon d'Or] awards,[note 2] the most for a European player, and is the first player to win four [European Golden Shoes]. He has won [26 trophies in his career], including five league titles, five [UEFA Champions League] titles and one [UEFA European Championship]. A prolific goalscorer, Ronaldo holds the records for most official goals scored in Europe's top-five leagues (405), the UEFA Champions League (121), the UEFA European Championship (9), as well as those for most assists in the UEFA Champions League (34) and the UEFA European Championship (6). He has scored over [680 senior career goals] for club and country.
Born and raised on the Portuguese island of [Madeira], Ronaldo was diagnosed with a [racing heart] at age 15. He underwent an operation to treat his condition, and began his senior club career playing for [Sporting CP], before signing with [Manchester United] at age 18 in 2003. After winning his first trophy, the [FA Cup], during his first season in England, he helped United win three successive [Premier League] titles, a UEFA Champions League title, and a [FIFA Club World Cup]. By age 22, he had received Ballon d'Or and [FIFA World Player of the Year] nominations and at age 23, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. In 2009, Ronaldo was the subject of the [most expensive association football transfer] when he moved from Manchester United to [Real Madrid] in a [transfer] worth [€]94 million ([£]80 million).
With Real Madrid, Ronaldo won 15 trophies, including two [La Liga] titles, two [Copas del Rey], four UEFA Champions League titles, two [UEFA Super Cups], and three FIFA Club World Cups. [Real Madrid's all-time top goalscorer], Ronaldo scored [a record 34 La Liga hat-tricks], including a record-tying eight hat-tricks in the [2014–15] season[note 3] and is the only player to reach 30 goals in six consecutive La Liga seasons. After joining Madrid, Ronaldo finished runner-up for the Ballon d'Or three times, behind [Lionel Messi], his perceived [career rival], before winning back-to-back Ballons d'Or in [2013] and [2014]. After winning the [2016] and [2017] Champions Leagues, Ronaldo secured back-to-back Ballons d'Or again in [2016] and [2017]. A historic [third consecutive Champions League] followed, making Ronaldo the first player to win the trophy five times.[7] In 2018, [he signed to Juventus in a transfer] worth €100 million, the highest ever paid by an Italian club and the highest fee ever paid for a player over 30 years old.
A Portuguese international, Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by the [Portuguese Football Federation] in 2015. He made his senior debut for Portugal in 2003 at age 18, and has since had [over 150 caps], including appearing and scoring in eight major tournaments, becoming [Portugal's most capped player] and [his country's all-time top goalscorer]. He scored his first international goal at [Euro 2004] and helped Portugal reach [the final]. He [took over full captaincy] in July 2008, leading Portugal to their first-ever triumph in a major tournament by winning [Euro 2016], and received the [Silver Boot] as the second-highest goalscorer of the tournament, before becoming the highest European [international goalscorer of all-time].[8] One of the most marketable athletes in the world, he was ranked the [world's highest-paid athlete] by Forbes in 2016 and 2017, as well as the world's most famous athlete by [ESPN] in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Early life
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in [São Pedro], [Funchal], on the island of [Madeira], Portugal, and grew up in [Santo António], Funchal.[9][10] He is the fourth and youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro (b. 1954), a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro (1953–2005), a municipal gardener and a part-time [kit man].[11] His second given name, "Ronaldo", was chosen after then-U.S. president [Ronald Reagan].[12] His great-grandmother on his father's side, Isabel da Piedade, was from the island of [São Vicente], [Cape Verde].[13] He has one older brother, Hugo (b. 1975), and two older sisters, Elma (b. 1973) and Liliana Cátia "Katia" (b. 1977), who is a singer.[2] Ronaldo grew up in a [Catholic] and impoverished home, sharing a room with all his siblings.[14]
As a child, Ronaldo played for amateur team [Andorinha] from 1992 to 1995,[15] where his father was the kit man,[16] and later spent two years with [Nacional]. In 1997, aged 12, he went on a three-day trial with [Sporting CP], who signed him for a fee of £1,500.[17][18] He subsequently moved from Madeira to [Alcochete], near [Lisbon], to join Sporting's other youth players at [the club's football academy].[17] By age 14, Ronaldo believed he had the ability to play semi-professionally, and agreed with his mother to cease his education in order to focus entirely on football.[19] While popular with other students at school, he had been expelled after throwing a chair at his teacher, who he said had "disrespected" him.[19] However, one year later, he was diagnosed with a [racing heart], a condition that could have forced him to give up playing football.[20] Ronaldo underwent heart surgery where a laser was used to [cauterise] multiple [cardiac pathways] into one, altering his [resting heart rate].[21] He was discharged from the hospital hours after the procedure and resumed training a few days later.[22]
Club career
Sporting CP
At age 16, Ronaldo was promoted from Sporting's youth team by first-team manager [László Bölöni], who was impressed with his dribbling.[23] He subsequently became the first player to play for the club's under-16, under-17 and under-18 teams, the B team, and the first team, all within a single season.[17] 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.[24] Over the course of the [2002–03 season], his representatives suggested the player to [Liverpool] manager [Gérard Houllier] and [Barcelona] president [Joan Laporta].[25] Manager [Arsène Wenger], who was interested in signing the winger, met with him at [Arsenal]'s grounds in November to discuss a possible transfer.[26]
[Manchester United] manager [Alex Ferguson], however, determined to acquire Ronaldo on a permanent move urgently, after Sporting defeated United 3–1 at the inauguration of the [Estádio José Alvalade] in August 2003. Initially, United had just planned to sign Ronaldo and then loan him back to Sporting for a year.[27] Having been impressed by him, however, the Manchester United players urged Ferguson to sign him. After the game, Ferguson agreed to pay Sporting £12.24 million[27] for what he considered to be "one of the most exciting young players" he had ever seen.[28] A decade after his departure from the club, in April 2013, Sporting honoured Ronaldo by selecting him to become their 100,000th member.[29]
Manchester United
2003–07: Development and breakthrough
Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed before the [2003–04 season].[30] His transfer fee of £12.24 million made him, at the time, the most expensive teenager in English football history.[31] Although he requested the number 28, his number at Sporting, he received the [number 7 shirt], which had previously been worn by such United players as [George Best], [Eric Cantona] and [David Beckham].[32][33] Wearing the number 7 became an extra source of motivation for Ronaldo.[33] A key element in his development during his time in England proved to be his manager, Alex Ferguson, of whom he later said, "He's been my father in sport, one of the most important and influential factors in my career."[34]
Ronaldo made his debut in the [Premier League] in a 4–0 home victory over [Bolton Wanderers] on 16 August 2003, receiving a standing ovation when he came on as a 60th-minute substitute for [Nicky Butt].[35] His performance earned praise from George Best, who hailed it as "undoubtedly the most exciting debut" he had ever seen.[36] Ronaldo scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free-kick in a 3–0 win over [Portsmouth] on 1 November.[37] Three other league goals followed in the second half of the campaign,[38] the last of which came against [Aston Villa] on the final day of the season, a match in which he also received his first [red card].[39] Ronaldo ended his first season in English football by scoring the opening goal in United's 3–0 victory over [Millwall] in the [FA Cup final], earning his first trophy.[40]
At the start of 2005, Ronaldo played two of his best matches of the [2004–05 season], producing a goal and an assist against Aston Villa and scoring twice against [rivals] Arsenal.[41][42] He played the full 120 minutes of the decisive match against Arsenal in the [FA Cup final], which ended in a goalless draw, and scored his attempt in the lost [penalty shootout].[43] He scored Manchester United's 1000th Premier League goal on 29 October, their only strike in a 4–1 loss to [Middlesbrough].[44] Midway through the season, in November, he signed a new contract which extended his previous deal by two years to 2010.[45] Ronaldo won his second trophy in English football, the [Football League Cup], after scoring the third goal in United's 4–0 final victory over [Wigan Athletic].[46]
During his third season in England, Ronaldo was involved in several incidents. He had a one-match ban imposed on him by [UEFA] for a "[one-fingered gesture]" towards [Benfica] fans,[47] and was sent off in the [Manchester derby]—a 3–1 defeat—for kicking [Manchester City]'s former United player [Andy Cole].[48] Ronaldo clashed with a teammate, striker [Ruud van Nistelrooy], who took offence at the winger's showboating style of play.[49] Following the [2006 FIFA World Cup], in which he was involved in an incident where club teammate [Wayne Rooney] was sent off,[50] Ronaldo publicly asked for a transfer, lamenting the lack of support he felt he had received from the club over the incident.[51] United, however, denied the possibility of him leaving the club.[52]
Although his World Cup altercation with Rooney resulted in Ronaldo being booed throughout the [2006–07 season],[53] it proved to be his breakout year, as he broke the 20-goal barrier for the first time and won his first [Premier League title]. An important factor in this success was his one-to-one training by first-team coach [René Meulensteen], who taught him to make himself more unpredictable, improve his teamwork, call for the ball, and capitalise on goalscoring opportunities rather than waiting for the chance to score the aesthetically pleasing goals for which he was already known.[54] He scored three consecutive braces at the end of December, against Aston Villa—a victory which put United on top of the league—Wigan Athletic, and [Reading].[55][56][57] Ronaldo was named the [Premier League Player of the Month] in November and December, becoming only the third player to receive consecutive honours.[58][59]
2007–09: Collective and individual success
At the quarter-final stage of the [2006–07 UEFA Champions League], Ronaldo scored his first-ever goals in the competition, finding the net twice in a 7–1 victory over [Roma].[60] He subsequently scored four minutes into the first semi-final leg against [Milan], which ended in a 3–2 win,[61] but was [marked] out of the second leg as United lost 3–0 at the [San Siro].[62] He also helped United reach the [FA Cup final], but the decisive match against [Chelsea] ended in a 1–0 defeat.[63] Ronaldo scored the only goal in the Manchester derby on 5 May 2007—his 50th goal for the club—as Manchester United claimed their first Premier League title in four years.[64] As a result of his performances, he amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the [Professional Footballers' Association]'s [Player's Player], [Fans' Player], and [Young Player of the Year] awards, as well as the [Football Writers' Association]'s [Footballer of the Year] award,[65][66] becoming the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA honours.[67] His club wages were concurrently upgraded to £120,000 a week (£31 million total) as part of a five-year contract extension with United.[68]
Ronaldo scored a total of 42 goals in all competitions during the [2007–08 season], his most prolific campaign during his time in England. He missed three matches after headbutting a [Portsmouth] player at the start of the season, an experience he said taught him not to let opponents provoke him.[69] At the end of 2007, Ronaldo was named runner-up to [Kaká] for the [Ballon d'Or],[70] and came third, behind Kaká and [Lionel Messi], in the running for the [FIFA World Player of the Year] award.[71]
Ronaldo scored his first and only [hat-trick] for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against [Newcastle United] on 12 January 2008, bringing United up to the top of the Premier League table.[72] A month later, on 19 March, he captained United for the first time in a home win over Bolton, and scored both goals of the match.[73] His second goal was his 33rd of the campaign, which bettered George Best's total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season, thus setting the club's new single-season record by a midfielder.[74] His 31 league goals earned him the [Premier League Golden Boot],[75] as well as the [European Golden Shoe], which made him the first winger to win the latter award.[76]
In the knockout stage of the Champions League, Ronaldo scored the decisive goal against [Lyon], which helped United advance to the quarter-finals 2–1 on aggregate,[77] and, while playing as a striker, scored with a header in the 3–0 aggregate victory over Roma.[78] United advanced to the [final] against Chelsea in Moscow, where, despite his opening goal being negated by an equaliser and his penalty being saved in the shoot-out,[79] Manchester United emerged victorious.[80] As the [Champions League top scorer], Ronaldo was named the [UEFA Club Footballer of the Year].[81] He additionally received the PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards for the second consecutive season.[82][83]
As rumours circulated of Ronaldo's interest in moving to [Real Madrid], United filed a tampering complaint with governing body FIFA over Madrid's alleged pursuit of their player, but they declined to take action.[84] FIFA president [Sepp Blatter] asserted that the player should be allowed to leave his club, describing the situation as "modern slavery".[85] Despite Ronaldo publicly agreeing with Blatter,[86] he remained at United for another year.[87] Ahead of the [2008–09 season], on 7 July, he underwent ankle surgery,[88] which kept him out of action for 10 weeks.[89] Following his return, he scored his 100th goal in all competitions for United with the first of two free kicks in a 5–0 win against [Stoke City] on 15 November,[90] which meant he had now scored against all 19 opposition teams in the Premier League at the time.[91] At the close of 2008, Ronaldo helped United win the [FIFA Club World Cup] in Japan,[92] assisting the [final]-winning goal against [Liga de Quito] and winning the [Silver Ball] in the process.[93][94] He subsequently became United's first [Ballon d'Or] winner since George Best in 1968,[95] and the first Premier League player to be named the [FIFA World Player of the Year].[96]
His match-winning goal in the second leg against [Porto], a 40-yard strike, earned him the inaugural [FIFA Puskás Award], presented by FIFA in recognition of the best goal of the year;[97] he later called it the best goal he had ever scored.[98] United advanced to the [final] in Rome,[99] where he made little impact in United's 2–0 defeat to Barcelona.[100] Ronaldo ended his time in England with nine trophies, as United claimed their third successive Premier League title and a [Football League Cup].[101][102] He finished the campaign with 26 goals in all competitions, 16 goals fewer than the previous season, in four more appearances.[103] His final ever goal for Manchester United came on 10 May 2009 with a free kick in the Manchester derby at [Old Trafford].[104]
Real Madrid
2009–13: World record transfer and La Liga championship
Ahead of the [2009–10 season], Ronaldo joined Real Madrid for a [world record transfer fee] at the time, of £80 million (€94 million).[105] His contract, which ran until 2015, was worth €11 million per year and contained a €1 billion buy-out clause.[106] At least 80,000 fans attended his presentation at the [Santiago Bernabéu], surpassing the 25-year record of 75,000 fans who had welcomed [Diego Maradona] at [Napoli].[107] Since club captain [Raúl] already wore the number 7, the number Ronaldo wore at Manchester United,[108] Ronaldo received the number 9 shirt,[109] which was presented to him by former Madrid player [Alfredo Di Stéfano].[110]
Ronaldo made his debut in [La Liga] on 29 August 2009, against [Deportivo La Coruña], and scored from the penalty spot in Madrid's 3–2 home win.[111] He scored in each of his first four league fixtures with the club, the first Madrid player to do so.[112] His first Champions League goals for the club followed with two free kicks in the first group match against [Zürich].[113] His strong start to the season, however, was interrupted when he suffered an ankle injury in October while on international duty, which kept him sidelined for seven weeks.[114][115] A week after his return, he received his first red card in Spain in a match against [Almería].[116] Midway through the season, Ronaldo placed second in the running for the [Ballon d'Or] and the [FIFA World Player of the Year] award, behind Lionel Messi of [Barcelona], Madrid's historic rivals. He finished the campaign with 33 goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 win against [Mallorca] on 5 May 2010, his first in the Spanish competition.[117][118] His first season at Real Madrid ended trophyless.[119]
Following Raúl's departure, Ronaldo was handed the number 7 shirt for Real Madrid before the [2010–11 season].[108] His subsequent return to his Ballon d'Or-winning form was epitomised when, for the first time in his career, he scored four goals in a single match during a 6–1 rout against [Racing Santander] on 23 October.[120] 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. Ronaldo subsequently scored further hat-tricks against [Athletic Bilbao], [Levante], [Villarreal], and [Málaga].[121][122][123] Despite his performance, he failed to make the podium for the inaugural [FIFA Ballon d'Or] at the end of 2010.[124]
During a historical series of four Clásicos against rivals Barcelona in April 2011, Ronaldo scored twice to equal his personal record of 42 goals in all competitions in a single season. Although he failed to find the net during Madrid's eventual elimination in the Champions League semi-finals, he equalised from the penalty spot in the return league game and scored the match-winning goal in the 103rd minute of the [Copa del Rey final], winning his first trophy in Spain.[125][126] Over the next two weeks, Ronaldo scored another four-goal haul against [Sevilla],[127] a hat-trick against [Getafe],[128] and a brace of free kicks against Villarreal, taking his league total to 38 goals, which equalled the record for most goals scored in a season held by [Telmo Zarra] and [Hugo Sánchez].[129] His two goals in the last match of the season, against [Almería], made him the first player in La Liga to score 40 goals.[130] In addition to the [Pichichi Trophy], Ronaldo consequently won the European Golden Shoe for a second time, becoming the first player to win the award in two different leagues.[131] He ended his second season at Real Madrid with a total of 53 goals in all competitions.
During the following campaign, the [2011–12 season], Ronaldo surpassed his previous goalscoring feats to achieve a new personal best of 60 goals across all competitions.[132] His 100th goal for Real Madrid came at [Camp Nou] in the [Supercopa de España], though Barcelona claimed the trophy 5–4 on aggregate.[133] He regained a place on the [FIFA Ballon d'Or] podium, as runner-up to Messi, after scoring hat-tricks against [Real Zaragoza], [Rayo Vallecano], Málaga, [Osasuna], and Sevilla, the last of which put Madrid on top of the league by the season's midway point.[134][135][136] Despite two goals from Ronaldo, Madrid were subsequently defeated by Barcelona 4–3 on aggregrate in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. He again scored twice, including a penalty, in the Champions League semi-finals against [Bayern Munich], resulting in a 3–3 draw, but his penalty kick in the shootout was saved by [Manuel Neuer], leading to Madrid's elimination.[137]
Ronaldo found greater team success in the league, as he helped Real Madrid win their first [La Liga title] in four years, with a record 100 points. Following a hat-trick against Levante, further increasing Madrid's lead over Barcelona,[138] he scored his 100th league goal for Madrid in a 5–1 win over [Real Sociedad] on 24 March 2012, a milestone he reached in just 92 matches across three seasons, breaking the previous club record held by [Ferenc Puskás].[139] Another hat-trick in the [Madrid derby] against [Atlético Madrid] brought his total to 40 league goals, equalling his record of the previous season.[140] On 21 April Ronaldo scored the winner in a 2–1 victory over Barcelona at the [Camp Nou], which saw him mocking the hostile crowd with a "calm down" gesture during his [goal celebration] – he would repeat this gesture at the same venue four years later during another goal celebration.[141] His final league goal of the campaign, against Mallorca, took his total to 46 goals, four short of the new record set by Messi,[142] and earned him the distinction of being the first player to score against all 19 opposition teams in a single season in La Liga.[143]
Ronaldo began the [2012–13 season] by lifting the [Supercopa de España], his third trophy in Spain. 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.[144] Although Ronaldo publicly commented that he was unhappy with a "professional issue" within the club, prompted by his refusal to celebrate his 150th goal for Madrid,[145] his goalscoring rate did not suffer. After netting a hat-trick, including two penalties, against Deportivo La Coruña, he scored his first [hat-trick in the Champions League] in a 4–1 victory over [Ajax].[146] Four days later, he became the first player to score in six successive Clásicos when he hit a brace in a 2–2 draw at Camp Nou.[147] His performances in 2012 again saw Ronaldo voted second in the running for the [FIFA Ballon d'Or], finishing runner-up to four-time winner Messi.[148]
2013–15: Consecutive FIFA Ballon d'Or wins and La Décima
Following the 2012–13 winter break, Ronaldo captained Real Madrid for the first time in an official match, scoring a brace to lift 10-man Madrid to a 4–3 victory over Real Sociedad on 6 January.[149] He subsequently became the first non-Spanish player in 60 years to captain Madrid in El Clásico on 30 January, a match which also marked his 500th club appearance.[150] Three days prior, he had scored his 300th club goal as part of a perfect hat-trick against Getafe.[151] Following hat-tricks against Celta Vigo and Sevilla,[152][153] he scored his 200th goal for Real Madrid on 8 May in a 6–2 win against Málaga, reaching the landmark in 197 games.[154] He helped Madrid reach the [Copa del Rey final] by scoring a brace in El Clásico, which marked the sixth successive match at Camp Nou in which he had scored,[155] a Real Madrid record.[144] In the final, he headed the opening goal of an eventual 2–1 defeat to Atlético Madrid,[156] but was shown a straight red card in the 114th minute for violent conduct.[157] Real Madrid also failed to defend their La Liga title, finishing runners up to Barcelona.
In the first knockout round of the Champions League, Ronaldo faced his former club Manchester United for the first time. After scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu,[158] he scored the match-winning goal in a 2–1 victory at Old Trafford, his first return to his former home ground.[159] He [did not celebrate scoring] against his former club as a mark of respect.[160] Ronaldo scored three goals in Madrid's 5–3 aggregate victory over [Galatasaray] to see them advance to the semi-finals,[161][162] He scored Madrid's only goal in the 4–1 away defeat to [Borussia Dortmund],[163] but failed to increase his side's 2–0 victory in the second leg, as they were eliminated at the semi-final stage for the third consecutive year.[164] Ronaldo had scored 12 goals, finishing as the Champions League top goalscorer for a second time in his career. Accounting for all competitions, he ended the season with a total of 55 goals.
Real Madrid's failure to win major silverware and reports of division among the players prompted speculation regarding Ronaldo's future at the club.[165][166] At the start of the [2013–14 season], however, he signed a new contract that extended his stay by three years to 2018, with a salary of €17 million net, making him briefly the highest-paid player in football.[167] He was joined at the club by winger [Gareth Bale], whose world record transfer fee of €100 million surpassed the fee Madrid had paid for Ronaldo four years prior.[168] Together with striker [Karim Benzema], they formed an attacking trio popularly dubbed "BBC", an acronym of Bale, Benzema, and Cristiano, and a play off the [name] of the [public service broadcaster].[169] After enjoying a strong goalscoring run during the first half of the campaign, Ronaldo suggested that he was in the best form of his career.[170] By late November, he had scored 32 goals from 22 matches played for both club and country, including hat-tricks against Galatasaray, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, [Northern Ireland], and [Sweden].[171][172][173][174][175] He ended 2013 with a total of 69 goals in 59 appearances, his highest year-end goal tally.[176] His efforts earned him the [FIFA Ballon d'Or], an amalgamation of the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award, for the first time in his career.[177]
Concurrently with his individual achievements, Ronaldo enjoyed his greatest team success in Spain to date, as he helped Real Madrid win La Décima, their tenth European Cup. In the knockout phase of the competition, he scored a brace in each leg of a 9–2 aggregate win against [Schalke 04],[178] helping Madrid advance to the quarter-finals. His goal in a 3–0 home win over Borussia Dortmund—his 100th Champions League match—took his total for the season to 14 goals, equalling the record Messi had set two years before.[179] After hitting a brace in a 4–0 defeat of Bayern Munich at the [Allianz Arena],[180] he scored from the penalty spot in the 120th minute of the 4–1 final victory over Atlético Madrid, becoming the first player to score in two European Cup finals for two different winning teams.[181] His overall performance in the final was subdued as a result of [patellar tendinitis] and related hamstring problems, which had plagued him in the last months of the campaign. Ronaldo played the final against medical advice, later commenting: "In your life you do not win without sacrifices and you must take risks."[182] As the Champions League top goalscorer for the third time, with a record 17 goals,[183][184] he was named the [UEFA Best Player in Europe].[185]
In the Copa del Rey, Ronaldo helped Madrid reach the [final] by scoring a brace of penalties against Atlético Madrid at the [Vicente Calderón],[186] the first of which meant he had now scored in every single minute of a 90-minute football match.[187] His continued issues with his knee and thigh caused him to miss the final,[182][188] where Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2–1 to claim the trophy.[189] While Madrid were less successful in La Liga, finishing third, Ronaldo was unmatched as a goalscorer. He scored 31 goals in 30 league games, which earned him the Pichichi and the European Golden Shoe, receiving the latter award jointly with Liverpool striker [Luis Suárez].[190] Among his haul was his 400th career goal, in 653 appearances for club and country, which came with a brace against Celta Vigo on 6 January; he dedicated his goals to compatriot [Eusébio], who had died two days before.[191] A last-minute, backheeled 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],[192] which additionally named Ronaldo the [Best Player in La Liga].[193]
During the next campaign, the [2014–15 season], Ronaldo set a new personal best of 61 goals in all competitions, starting with both goals in Real Madrid's 2–0 victory over Sevilla in the [UEFA Super Cup].[194][195] He subsequently achieved his best-ever goalscoring start to a league campaign, with a record 15 goals in the first eight rounds of La Liga, including a four-goal haul against [Elche] and hat-tricks against Deportivo La Coruña and Athletic Bilbao.[196][197][198][199] 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.[199][200] After lifting the [FIFA Club World Cup] with Madrid in Morocco,[201] again winning the Silver Ball,[202][203] Ronaldo received a second successive [FIFA Ballon d'Or],[204] joining [Johan Cruyff], [Michel Platini], and [Marco van Basten] as a three-time Ballon d'Or winner.[205]