Ronaldo closes on Champions League goals record
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
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Cristiano Ronaldo has moved within one goal of his own record for strikes in a UEFA Champions League season after his sensational hat-trick against Wolfsburg.
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Cristiano Ronaldo is set to rewrite the UEFA Champions League record books once again after taking his tally to 16 goals this term with a hat-trick as Real Madrid edged out Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals.
The 31-year-old is now just one strike away from equalling his single-season record of 17 established in 2013/14, though he did achieve one new mark this evening: he is the first player to score three hat-tricks in the competition in one campaign.
Ronaldo finished top scorer in 2007/08 (eight goals), 2012/13 (12), 2013/14 (17) and 2014/15, when he tied with Lionel Messi and Neymar on ten. He is well on course to do it for a fifth time, helped by becoming the first player to reach double figures in a UEFA Champions League group stage in the autumn, ending up with 11.
Ronaldo also has a clear lead over Messi in the all-time UEFA Champions League scoring charts (93 goals to 83) and the pair are now level in terms of hat-tricks with five apiece.
Most goals in a UEFA Champions League season
2013/14: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 17
2015/16: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 16
2011/12: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 14
2012/13: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 12
2011/12: Mario Gomez (Bayern) 12
2010/11: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 12
2002/03: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) 12
