Ronaldo calm amid storm of Madrid goals
Monday, October 25, 2010
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Riding the crest of a wave after scoring four goals for José Mourinho's unbeaten Liga leaders on Saturday, Real Madrid CF's Cristiano Ronaldo said: "It's crucial we stay calm."
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Real Madrid CF attacker Cristiano Ronaldo was full of praise for his team-mates after his four-goal haul against Real Racing Club fired the Merengues to a 6-1 Liga triumph on Saturday night.
Fresh from his UEFA.com Player Rater Top Player performance in Tuesday's 2-0 UEFA Champions League win against AC Milan, the 25-year-old produced another explosive display to help José Mourinho's side maintain their one-point lead at the top of the Liga. "It's the first time as a professional that I've scored four in a game," the Portugal winger revealed after netting for the 12th time in 13 matches in all competitions this term.
"To be honest I have to thank my team-mates for my goals – they're the ones who keep giving me the ball so all I have to do is finish the chances," Ronaldo added. "They're playing so well." Indeed they are – still unbeaten under Mourinho, Madrid have sent an impressive signal of intent both domestically and in Europe.
With nine goals from eight league outings, Ronaldo has been particularly impressive though, stealing an early march on even his 2007/08 statistics when he claimed the ESM Golden Shoe for the continent's top striker. However, insisting that "we won't allow euphoria to overcome us", the 2008 UEFA Club Footballer of the Year called for focus at what he believes to be an important stage of the campaign.
"It's crucial we stay calm, we can't get carried away," he said. "Of course we're delighted to be league leaders but we have to think carefully about what we're doing and try to continue scoring as many goals as we can. There's a long way to go but we know we're on the right path."
Adding that "playing in Madrid is bringing really good things to me", Ronaldo will be looking to prolong his bright start to the season when his team visit San Siro to face Milan in UEFA Champions League Group G on 3 November. First in his sights, however, will be Tuesday's trip to Real Murcia CF in the Copa del Rey round of 32 followed by a weekend Liga assignment at Hercules CF.
