Cristiano Ronaldo’s love affair with the Champions League continued last night as he bagged his 125th goal in the competition – exactly 12 years to the day since his very first.
The forward, 34, scored Juventus’ goal in the 1-1 draw at Ajax yesterday to move even further clear of rival Lionel Messi as the record goalscorer.
He played the ball out wide to Joao Cancelo before ghosting into the box and launching himself through the air to send a diving header past Andre Onana. Ronaldo was a doubt before the game because he had been out since March 25 with a hamstring injury sustained on international duty.
But he returned and delivered when his team needed him yet again – just as he did with a hat-trick in the last round to knock Atletico Madrid out.
The legend tweeted: “Happy to come back and score another goal in this amazing competition. Well done team!”
Remarkably, it means only Messi – with 108 – is within 50 goals of the Portuguese great when it comes to Champions League goals.
And Ronaldo’s stats are truly staggering.
In quarter-final matches alone, Ronaldo has 24 goals in 21 games. Messi has ten.
He may only have played three matches at Ajax’s Johan Cruyff Arena, but he is the joint-top scorer at the stadium with six goals – Zlatan Ibrahimovic has the same number, but four of his came when he was playing for the Dutch side.
Ronaldo quarter-final record ?
? 21 games
⚽️ 24 goals#UCL pic.twitter.com/g9wnEGg7bc— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 10, 2019
And Ronaldo has scored now more knockout stage goals than the second and third highest scorers combined. He has 64, Messi has 42 and Thomas Muller has 21.
The ex-Manchester United man bagged his very first goal in the competition on April 10, 2007 as the Red Devils battered Roma 7-1.
He scored his side’s fourth goal, firing a low drive into the bottom corner past Doni.