By Ian Ennis – Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 300th goal in all competitions for Real Madrid in the side’s 2-0 defeat of Rayo Vallecano earlier this month to become only the 3rd player in the club’s history to hit the 300 goal mark. Raul (323) and Alfredo di Stefano (307) are the only players to score more for Real.
The milestone did not go unnoticed by the club. Florentino Perez, Real Madrid’s president, presented the #7 with a commemorative jersey with the number 300 gracing the back at a team training session last Friday.
Real Madrid 2014/15 Training Jersey
The run to 300 took only 288 appearances meaning he is scoring 1.0417 goals per game. He has added 2 goals since hitting the milestone and has 39 goals on the La Liga campaign in Real’s 32 matches.
CR7 has done extraordinary things since his high profile £80million world record transfer fee move from Manchester United 6 short years ago and there is no end in sight. Here is a look back at some of his best moments at Real Madrid:
One of Ronaldo’s biggest influences on Real was when he signed for them back in 2009. A transfer saga that had been following him name since his fantastic 2007/08 campaign for Manchester United finally came to an end on July 6, 2009 where the star put pen to paper to sign for Real. Little did anyone know how his talent and goal scoring ability would explode in the following years.
One of CR7’s best goals in a Real shirt came in a game between Los Blancos and Rayo Vallecano on February 26, 2012. All the pressure was on Madrid as 15th placed Rayo Vallecano had pinned them back for much of the game. Still chasing the league title, the team needed a big moment to overcome a resilient Vallecano side. A Mesut Ozil corner landed at the strikers’ feet and without a look back, Ronaldo back heeled the ball into the net to give Real a 1-0 lead. Even the announcers were completely stunned at what CR7 had done, “Did he just do that?! Yes, he did”.
Ronaldo’s accolades have been coming on a steady stream in recent years. It seems every new season he is breaking some goal scoring record. One of the biggest records he has ever broken, however, was when he won the European Golden Boot with an impressive 40 goals. This broke the long-standing record of Hugo Sanchez (38) and set the striker on course for more record-breaking seasons.
The Copa Del Rey is a competition of the Spanish elite comparable to the English FA Cup or the French Coupe de France. Every season, it is just as hotly contested as the league trophy. After being thrashed by rivals Barcelona in the recent past, Real were up against a wall in the cup final tie with the Catalonian giants. The entire night, Ronaldo ran the Barcelona defense until it culminated in a game-winning goal in extra time. The win in 2011 signaled a turning point as Madrid began to edge their way into major title contenders.
Ronaldo handed the ball that he scored his #200 goal
Another one of CR7’s landmark goals came on May 8, 2013 in the 6-2 thrashing of Malaga where Ronaldo notched his 200th goal for the club. Although he celebrated like it was a normal day at the office with his now trademark celebration, the Bernabéu crowd exploded in song, chanting his name well into the night.
In Ronaldo’s 3rd year in Spain, he finally achieved what he had been searching for the whole time: domestic conquest. On May 13, 2012 Madrid faced Mallorca with the knowledge they had edged out rivals Barcelona before a ball was even kicked. This did not stop the team from performing as they ran out 4-1 winners with CR7 scoring yet another landmark goal by become the only player in LA Liga history to ever score against every other team in the league. Real finished the season on 100 points and after 3 hard years of waiting and heartbreak, the Portuguese wonder kid finally got what he craved.
What are some of your favorite Cristiano Ronaldo moments at Real Madrid?
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