2
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,[2] OIH (born 5 February 1985),[3] commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballerwho plays as a forward for Spanish club Real Madrid and captains the Portuguese national team. He became the most expensive footballer in history when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009 in a transfer worth £80 million (€94 million/$131.6 million), a record that would later be reportedly broken by Gareth Bale, who joined Real Madrid in 2013 for £85 million (€100 million).[4] Ronaldo's contract with Real Madrid, under the terms of which he is paid €21 million per year (after taxes), makes him the highest-paid footballer in the world, and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.
Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. In 2004, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup.
Ronaldo was the first player playing in England to win all four main PFA and FWA awards, doing so in 2007. In 2008, Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or.[7] He placed second in the Ballon d'Or in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012. He was awarded the European Golden Shoe in both 2008 and 2011. In 2008, he won three of the four main PFA and FWA trophies and was named the FIFA World Player of the Year, FIFPro Player of the Year, World Soccer Player of the Year, and the Onze d'Or.[8][9][10] In 2007 and 2008, Ronaldo was named FWA Footballer of the Year. Ronaldo was the inaugural winner of the FIFA Puskás Award for the Goal of the Year in 2009.
Ronaldo is regarded by some to be the best footballer in today's game and one of the greatest of all time.[11] Ronaldo is the first top European league player to reach 40 goals in a single season in two consecutive years, fastest Real Madrid player to reach one hundred league goals, and the first player ever to score against every team in a single season in La Liga.[12] He also holds records for most goals scored in a season for Real Madrid and most goals scored per minute in La Liga for a Real Madrid player. In January 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 300th club goal.[13][14]
Ronaldo is a Portuguese international and made his debut against Kazakhstan in August 2003. He has been capped over 100 times and is his country's second-highest goalscorer of all time. With Portugal he has participated in five major tournaments; UEFA Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. He scored his first international goal in the opening game of the Euro 2004 against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He took over the captaincy of the side in July 2008 and went on to captain Portugal to the semi-finals at the Euro 2012 and finished the competition as the joint best scorer.
He wore the number 7 shirt at United, which was previously worn by Johnny Berry, George Best, Steve Coppell, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantonaand David Beckham. After spending his first year at Madrid wearing the number 9 shirt, he began wearing the number 7 again following the departure of the legendary Raúl.
CLUB CAREER
PORTUGAL
In November 2002, Ronaldo was invited to Arsenal's training ground, London Colney to meet manager Arsène Wenger and his coaching staff.[24] Wenger, who was interested in signing the midfielder had arranged to meet Ronaldo's representatives, Formation (who suggested the player originally to Gérard Houllier, then Liverpool's manager and Joan Laporta, then Barcelona's president) in the subsequent months to discuss a transfer arrangement.[25][26] However he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him.[27]
On April 2013, Ronaldo was honoured by Sporting as the club announced that the player had become their 100,000th member.[28]
MANCHESTER UNITED
Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for €15 million[29] (£12.24 million) after the 2002–03 season.[30] He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as Johnny Berry, George Best, Steve Coppell, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham, and subsequently worn by Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour.Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4–0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. Ronaldo ended his first season in English football by scoring the opening goal in United's 3–0 FA Cup final victory over Millwall.[32]
He scored United's 1000th Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough.[33] He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.
He was sent off in the Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium on 14 January 2006 (a game which United lost 3–1) for kicking City's former United player Andrew Cole.[34]
Ronaldo won his second trophy in English football in the 2005–06 season, scoring the third goal in Manchester United's 4–0 Football League Cup final victory over Wigan Athletic.[35]The 2006–2007 season proved to be the breakout year for Ronaldo, as he broke the 20 goal barrier for the first time and picked up his first league titlewith Manchester United. An important factor in this success was his one-to-one training by Rene Meulensteen. Meulenstein coached him in moves to make himself more unpredictable. He also helped him to work better with his team-mates, calling for the ball and scoring more 'ugly' goals instead of waiting for the special occasion when he could score the 'beautiful' goals for which he was already famous.[36]
In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Barclays Player of the Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996.[37][38] He scored his 50th Manchester United goal against city rivalsManchester City on 5 May 2007 as United claimed their first Premier League title in four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award at the end of the year.
Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that Real Madrid were willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo,[39] he signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week (£31 million total) extension with United on 13 April, making him the highest-paid player in team history.[40][41]
Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards, joining Andy Gray (in 1977) as the only players to receive this honour.[42] In April, he completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year. He also won the FWA Footballer of the Year, becoming the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards. Ronaldo was also one of eight Manchester United players named in the 2006–07 PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
Ronaldo's 2007–08 season began with a red card for a headbutt on Portsmouth player Richard Hughes during United's second match of the season, for which he was punished with a three-match ban.[43] Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in the future.[44] After scoring the only goal in a Champions League away match against Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-time winner in the return fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions League group.[45]
He finished as the runner-up to Kaká for the 2007 Ballon d'Or,[46] and was third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Kaká andLionel Messi.[47]
Ronaldo scored his first hat trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table.[48] He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 2–0 win against Reading, equalling his entire total for the 2006–07 season.[49] During a 1–1 Champions League first knockout round draw against Lyon on 20 February, an unidentified Lyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate Nani, prompting an investigation by UEFA.[50] One month later, Lyon were fined CHF5,000 (£2,427) for the incident.[51]
On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his career in a home win over Bolton, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory.[52] The second of the goals was his 33rd of the campaign, which set a new club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season.[53] Ronaldo scored another brace in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa on 29 March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and European matches as both a starter and substitute. Ronaldo's scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win the 2007–08European Golden Shoe, finishing eight points ahead of Mallorca's Dani Güiza.[54]
In the 2007–08 Champions League final on 21 May against league rivals Chelsea, Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by a Chelsea equaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 1–1 after extra time. His misfire in the penalty shoot-out put Chelsea in position to win the trophy, butJohn Terry shot wide right after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester United emerged victorious 6–5 on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA Fans' Man of the Match,[55] and wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling four short of Denis Law's team-record mark of 46 in the 1963–64 season. In the Champions League he was also named best forward and player of the tournament and was the competition's top goalscorer.On 5 June 2008, Sky Sports reported that Ronaldo had expressed an interest in moving to Real Madrid if they offered him the same amount of money the team had allegedly promised him earlier in the year.[56] Manchester United filed a tampering complaint with FIFA on 9 June over Madrid's alleged pursuit of Ronaldo, but FIFA declined to take any action.[57][58] Speculation that a transfer would happen continued until 6 August, when Ronaldo confirmed that he would stay at United for at least another year.[59]
Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam on 7 July.[60] He returned to action on 17 September in United's goallessUEFA Champions League group stage draw with Villarreal as a substitute for Park Ji-Sung,[61] and scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 League Cup third round win over Middlesbrough on 24 September.
In a 5–0 win over Stoke City on 15 November 2008, Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals in all competitions for Manchester United, both from free kicks.[62]The goals also meant that Ronaldo had now scored against each of the other 19 teams in the Premier League at the time.[63] On 2 December, Ronaldo became Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or recipient since George Best in 1968. He finished with 446 points, 165 ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi.[64] He was awarded the Silver Ball after finishing with two goals as United won the Club World Cup on 19 December.[65]
On 8 January 2009, Ronaldo was uninjured in a single-car accident in which he wrote off his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in a tunnel along the A538 near Manchester Airport. A breathalyser test he gave to police officers at the scene was negative, and he attended training later that morning.[66] Four days later, he became the first Premier League player ever to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to being the first Portuguese player to win the award since Luís Figoin 2001.[67]Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season, and first since the final against Chelsea, in a 2–0 victory over Internazionale that sent United into the quarter-finals.[68] In the second leg against Porto, Ronaldo scored a 40-yard game-winning goal as United advanced to the semi-finals. For this goal Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the first player to win the FIFA Puskás Award, in 2009, an honour handed by FIFA to the best goal of the year.[69] He later called it the best goal he had ever scored.[70][71] Ronaldo participated in his second consecutive Champions League final, but made little impact in United's 2–0 loss to Barcelona. He finished with 53 appearances in all competitions, which was four higher than the previous year, but scored sixteen fewer goals (26) than his career-best total of 42 from the previous season.
On 11 June, Manchester United accepted an unconditional offer of £80 million from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after it was revealed that he again had expressed his desire to leave the club.[72] It was confirmed by a representative of the Glazer family that the sale was fully condoned by Ferguson.[73] When Ronaldo had eventually completed his transfer to Real, he expressed his gratitude towards Ferguson for helping him develop as a player, saying, "He's been my father in sport, one of the most important factors and most influential in my career."[74]
REAL MADRID
On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 July 2009 from Manchester United for £80 million (€94 million) becoming the most expensive footballer in history,[75]after agreeing terms and signing a six-year contract.[76] Ronaldo's contract is worth €11 million per year[77] and it has a €1 billion buy-out clause.[78] He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid player on 6 July,[79] where he was handed the number 9 jersey.[80] The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano.[81] Ronaldo was welcomed by between 80,000 and 85,000 fans at his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, surpassing Diego Maradona's record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred fromBarcelona to Napoli in 1984.[82][83] The event was broadcast live on the Spanish and Portuguese public TV stations, RTVE and RTP respectively.On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 July 2009 from Manchester United for £80 million (€94 million) becoming the most expensive footballer in history,[75]after agreeing terms and signing a six-year contract.[76] Ronaldo's contract is worth €11 million per year[77] and it has a €1 billion buy-out clause.[78] He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid player on 6 July,[79] where he was handed the number 9 jersey.[80] The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano.[81] Ronaldo was welcomed by between 80,000 and 85,000 fans at his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, surpassing Diego Maradona's record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred fromBarcelona to Napoli in 1984.[82][83] The event was broadcast live on the Spanish and Portuguese public TV stations, RTVE and RTP respectively.[84][85]Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 1–0 win over Shamrock Rovers. His first goal came one week later with a penalty in Madrid's 4–2 win over LDU Quito.[86] On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his La Liga debut with a goal, scoring Real's second from the penalty spot in a 3–2 home win against Deportivo La Coruña.[87] On 15 September, Ronaldo scored two free-kicks in a 5–2 away victory over Zürich, his first Champions League goals for Real.[88] He broke a Madrid club record when he scored in a league match against Villarreal and thus became the first ever player to score in his first four La Liga appearances.[89]
An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international duty with Portugal against Hungary, kept him out until 25 November, which in turn caused him to miss both of Madrid's Champions League group stage matches against Milan.[citation needed] Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 1–0 El Clásico defeat to Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career during Real's 4–2 victory against Almería, a match which also saw him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirt during a goal celebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later.[90]
Ronaldo was second in the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award and also second in the 2009 Ballon d'Or award. On 5 May 2010, Ronaldo scored his first Real Madrid hat-trick in an away game against Mallorca. Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín scored 53 league goals during the course of the season and became Real's highest scoring league duo in their history.[91]With the departure of Raúl during the summer of 2010, Ronaldo was handed the number 7 jersey for Real Madrid.[92] On 23 October 2010, Ronaldo scored four goals against Racing de Santander,[93] the most goals he has ever scored in a single match.[94] This completed a goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (three in La Liga, one in the Champions League, and two forPortugal) in which Ronaldo scored in each match, totalling 11 goals, which is the most Ronaldo has scored in a single month. Before Real Madrid's 5–0 defeat by Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Ronaldo scored his second La Liga hat-trick of the season in a 5–1 win over Athletic Bilbao.[95] His final match of the calendar year saw him score a hat-trick in a 8–0 trashing of Levante in theCopa del Rey.[96]Ronaldo began 2011 with a very promising outlook, especially after Real Madrid acknowledged he had broken numerous goalscoring records, previously settled and held by classic players such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Hugo Sánchez, and Manuel Alday.[97][98] Ronaldo began his scoring spree by scoring two vital goals in a tight 3–2 victory away to Getafe.[99] He then consolidated his massive performances by scoring a hat-trick and assisting Kaká to score his first league goal after his return from injury, in a 4–2 victory over Villarreal on 9 January. On 3 March 2011, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in a 7–0 trashing of Málaga, but was affected by a muscle injury at the end of the match, which forced him to spend 10 days on the sidelines.In April, he made another massive comeback from injury, sustaining a three-game scoring streak (including two goals in Champions League quarter-finals against Tottenham Hotspur), thus arriving to the first of a historical series of four El Clásico encounters two goals short of breaking his personal record of 42 goals in all competitions in a single season, achieved at Manchester United in the 2007–08 season.
During the second league edition of El Clásico, Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot and took his tally to 41 goals, also taking his scoring streak to four games. On 20 April, Ronaldo scored the winning goal againstBarcelona in the 103rd minute of the Copa del Rey final.[100] This goal would later be chosen as both Ronaldo's and Real Madrid's best goal in the season by several fan polls, including those of Marca[101] and Real Madrid's website.[102] 7 May saw Real travel to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán to take on Sevilla, where Ronaldo led the thrashing of the Andalusian side, scoring four goals in a 6–2 victory. These four goals took him to 46 for the season which surpassed his previous record of 42 in a season playing for Manchester United.[103] Three days later he reached 49 goals for the season, by scoring another hat-trick in a 4–0 home win against Getafe. On 15 May, after scoring two free-kick goals in a 3–1 win over Villarreal, he equalled the La Liga record with most goals in a season with 38, a record previously held by Telmo Zarra and Hugo Sánchez.
On 21 May, he scored two goals in the last league match of the season against Almería, taking his Pichichi total to 41, and La Liga total to 40, becoming the only player to score 40 goals in a La Liga season. By doing this, he won the European Golden Shoe award once again, becoming the first player to win the trophy in two different leagues. The sports newspaper Marca, which awards the Pichichi Trophy, included the goal scored on 18 September 2010 against Real Sociedad in Ronaldo's goal count, which had been officially attributed to Pepe.[104] Should this goal be granted to Ronaldo, his goal count in the Pichichi Trophy would tally 41 goals. Ronaldo also broke Zarra's record of most goals per minute, with a goal scored every 70.7 minutes. However, regardless of this goal polemic, Ronaldo's record-breaking figures became a source of major attention from public media, such as being included in the Sports Illustrated World XI,[105] rating him as one of the world's best footballers.
Ronaldo ended his second season at Real Madrid by winning his first club honour with the club, the 2011 Copa del Rey, notching a total of 53 goals (not granting him the controversial goal fromPepe) in all competitions, having scored 25 goals with his right foot (excluding free-kicks and penalty-kicks) and 9 with his left foot.[106]
Real Madrid's pre-season began with a 4–1 victory over MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy,[107] with goals from Callejón, Joselu, Ronaldo, and Benzema.[108] Four days later Ronaldo scored a second half hat-trick in a 3–0 win against Guadalajara. Ronaldo's preseason performance was highly praised as world media kept hailing Ronaldo's extreme competitiveness and motivation, even during friendly matches. On 17 August 2011, Ronaldo scored his 100th goal with Real Madrid with a first-half equaliser against Barcelona in the second leg of the 2011 Spanish Supercup in theCamp Nou. On 27 August 2011, he opened the 2011–12 La Liga season with a hat-trick in a 6–0 win at Real Zaragoza.
In the first weeks of September, Ronaldo's physical performance was subject to scrutiny by world media, after Castrol released a television film named Ronaldo: Tested to the Limit where he was put to test in several fields, including mental and physical. Conclusions from the movie and doctors in the weeks following claimed that Ronaldo was one of the best athletes in the world, excelling in football and outstanding in almost every other category.[citation needed] On 24 September, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick (including two penalties) in Real Madrid's 6–2 win over Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu. This was his ninth La Liga hat-trick and tenth hat-trick for Real Madrid.On 27 September, Ronaldo scored Real's opening goal in a 3–0 victory over Ajax at the Santiago Bernabéu in the UEFA Champions League. On 22 October, after not scoring in his previous three games, Ronaldo scored his tenth La Liga hat-trick and eleventh in total for Real Madrid in a match away to Málaga, which Real Madrid won 4–0. His twelfth Real Madrid hat-trick followed on 6 November, in a 7–1 victory over Osasuna that ensured Madrid stayed top of the table heading into the international break.[109]
On 19 November 2011, Ronaldo scored Real's second goal in a 2–3 defeat of Valencia. On 26 November 2011, Ronaldo scored two penalties in a 4–1 defeat ofAtlético Madrid in the El Derbi madrileño. On 3 December 2011, Ronaldo scored Madrid's second goal in a 0–3 defeat of Sporting de Gijón in La Liga. He was one of the three finalists for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or. On 13 December 2011, Ronaldo scored the second goal against SD Ponferradina in the first leg of theCopa del Rey Round 4, the match ended in a 0–2 win. On 17 December 2011, Ronaldo scored his twelfth La Liga hat-trick and thirteenth overall in a 6–2 win away to Sevilla.
Ronaldo was third in the 2010–11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, behind Lionel Messi and Xavi, and second in the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or, behind Lionel Messi and ahead of Xavi. In Real Madrid's next game in La Liga at home to Granada Ronaldo scored the fifth goal in a 5–1 win. On 22 January 2012, Ronaldo scored two penalties in a 4–1 win over Athletic Bilbao, and on 28 January scored Real Madrid's second and winning goal in a 3–1 win against Zaragoza. Ronaldo also scored two goals against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey Quarter-finals, which Real lost 4–3 on aggregrate. On 12 February 2012, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, his thirteenth in La Liga and fourteenth for Real Madrid, in a 4–2 home win over Levante. This win stretched Real Madrid's lead over second-placed Barcelona to 10 points.
On 24 March 2012, Ronaldo reached more than 100 goals in La Liga in just three seasons at Real Madrid when he scored the first of his two goals in the match against Real Sociedad, the second quickest La Liga player to reach that milestone in the league after Isidro Lángara, reaching the milestone in 92 matches and breaking the previous club record held by Puskás.[110] As of 24 March 2012, Ronaldo had averaged 1.01 goals per game in La Liga.
On 11 April, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in a 1–4 win, as well as assisting the last goal. His hat-trick, one goal from a free kick, one from 30 yards on the left wing and one penalty, gave him 40 league goals in the season, making him the only player in La Liga history, or in any other major European league, to score 40 goals in two seasons, even doing so in consecutive seasons. Ronaldo officially broke his previous record of 40 goals in a La Liga season on 14 April, scoring in a 3–1 win against Sporting Gijón. On 25 April, in the second leg of the semi-finals in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League against Bayern Munich, Ronaldo converted a penalty from a David Alabahandball and scored a second goal from a pass from Mesut Özil. Extra time ended with the tie level at 3–3, and Real Madrid were eliminated in the shootout with Ronaldo's kick being saved byManuel Neuer.[111]
On 13 May 2012, the last matchday, Ronaldo scored against Mallorca which made him the first player ever to score against every team in a single season in La Liga.[12] He ended his third season at Real Madrid by winning his first league title with the club, with a record 100 points, notching a total of 46 league goals and 60 goals in all competitions, breaking the Real Madrid record he had set the previous season. At the end of the season, Ronaldo claimed that he believed that he had played better than Lionel Messi in the 2011–12 season,[112] and he went on to win theTrofeo Alfredo Di Stefano as the La Liga player of the season.
2012–13 season
Ronaldo started the season by lifting the Supercopa de España with Real Madrid, scoring two goals in a 4–4 away goals aggregate win against Barcelona. The goal in the first leg made him the first Madrid player in the history of El Clásico to score for the fourth game in a row at the Camp Nou,[113] with the winning goal in the second leg, Ronaldo equalled the Real Madrid record of Iván Zamorano of scoring in five consecutive El Clásico matches.[114] AS reported that Manchester City president Sheikh Mansour had made a bid of €200 million for Ronaldo in the summer, but Real Madrid turned the bid down.[115] On 30 August, Ronaldo was second (tied with Lionel Messi) in the 2011–12 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award with 17 votes, behind winner Iniesta.[116]
On 2 September 2012, Ronaldo scored his first league goal of the season in a 3–0 win over Granada, which was also his 200th career goal in league matches played in England, Spain andPortugal. He added another goal, which was his 150th goal for Real Madrid in all competitions in 149 matches played. This goal made him the 10th highest scorer for Real Madrid in all competitions. Ronaldo was substituted at the 63rd minute by team mate Higuaín, due to a minor thigh injury.[117] Afterwards, Ronaldo claimed that he was unhappy with a "professional issue" after he refused to celebrate his 149th and 150th goals for the club.[118] Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, insisted that he always knew that Ronaldo was unhappy with life at Real Madrid.[119]Ronaldo dismissed the notion that his post-match declaration of "sadness" was related to a desire for a new and improved contract at the club.[120] Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, claimed that he did not want to leave the club and that he was unhappy for other reasons.[121] When Ronaldo returned to Real Madrid, after international duty, he stated he was focused on achieving further success with the club.[122] Real Madrid coach José Mourinho believed that UEFA's decision to elect Iniesta as the best player in Europe in 2011–12 could have been one of the reasons behind Ronaldo's unhappiness.[123][124]
On 18 September, Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season in a 3–2 victory over Manchester City.[125] On 30 September, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick (including two penalties), his first La Liga hat-trick of the season, in a 5–1 win over Deportivo de La Coruña.[126] On 4 October, Ronaldo scored his first career hat-trick in Champions League as he led Real Madrid to a 4–1 victory over Ajax.[127] Continuing his fine form, he hit a brace the following week against Barcelona in a 2–2 draw at Camp Nou, which made him the first and only player to score in six consecutive El Clásico's.[128] He followed this up with another goal in the following weekends against Borussia Dortmund in a 2–1 away loss and a brace in the 5–0 away win againstMallorca.[129][130]
On 11 November, in a 2–1 away win over Levante, Ronaldo received an horrific elbow to the eye in the second minute in the match, but scored his twelfth La Liga goal to give Madrid the lead, before being substituted at half-time.[131][132] This eventually led to him missing the Portugal squad for the friendly game against Gabon.[133] On 21 November, he appeared in Madrid's 1–1 Champions League group stage draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The match represented the first time that Ronaldo played in Manchester since leaving City's rival, Manchester United, for Madrid in 2009.[134] On 1 December, after not scoring in his previous three games, Ronaldo scored a goal from a free-kick and assisted Özil to score the second goal, in a 2–0 victory over Atlético Madrid.[135] Ronaldo continued to score his sixth Champions League goal in a 4–1 home win against Ajax on 4 December, once against Celta Vigo in the first leg of a Copa del Reygame on 12 December, and once again in a 2–2 draw with Espanyol on 16 December.
In December 2012, French giants Paris Saint-Germain declared interest in signing Ronaldo.[136] However, Real Madrid announced the club will not sell Ronaldo and the club was working on an improved contract with a three-year extension, keeping him at the club until 2018.[137][138] In April 2013, Florentino Pérez said Ronaldo's contract will be renewed,[139] while José Mourinho felt Ronaldo was indispensable to the club.[140] In May 2013, Perez said he had no intention of selling Ronaldo, who would be offered a new deal to ensure he stays with Madrid.[141][142]
On 6 January, in Madrid's first match of 2013, Ronaldo scored a brace to lift 10-man Real Madrid to a 4–3 victory over Real Sociedad.[143] The match represented the first time that Ronaldo captained Real Madrid in an official match,[144][145] but received his fifth yellow card of the season and was suspended for the team's next league game at Osasuna serving a one-game ban. This was the first time Ronaldo was suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards, having only previously missed games when being given a straight red card.[146] On 7 January, he was second in the2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or, for the fourth time behind Lionel Messi.[147] On 9 January, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Celta Vigo in the second leg of a Copa del Rey game.[148] Following a first leg victory over Valencia in the Copa del Rey on 15 January, Ronaldo got into an argument with manager José Mourinho.[149][150]
On 27 January, Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trick against Getafe in a 4–0 win, including his 300th club goal.[151] On 30 January, against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, Ronaldo made his 500th club appearances. He was the first not Spanish to captain Real Madrid in a Clásico in the last 60 years.[152] On 2 February, Ronaldo scored the first own goal of his career to send Real Madrid to a shock 1–0 defeat at Granada.[153] Ronaldo than scored another hat-trick the next week against Sevilla, his 21st hat-trick of his career and his 17th in La Liga.[154]
Ronaldo faced his former club Manchester United for the first time on 13 February in the Champions League Round of 16 and scored the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu.[155] On 26 February, Ronaldo scored twice against Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals, making this the sixth consecutive trip to the Camp Nou in which he had scored.[156]Ronaldo then scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory against Manchester United on 5 March, which was his return to Old Trafford for the first time since his world-record £80 million move to Real Madrid in 2009.[157] Thereafter, Ronaldo stated he was "sad" and had a "strange feeling" after his goal knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League.[158][159]
On 10 March, Ronaldo struck twice against Celta Vigo to send Real Madrid above city rivals Atlético into second place in La Liga.[160] The second goal, his 138 goal in La Liga, earned him a place in the top 25 goalscorers in the history of La Liga in just 127 games, recording an average of 1.08 goals per game, the highest of all the top 25 goalscorers.[161] On 16 March, Ronaldo scored the equaliser in a 5–2 victory against Mallorca, which was his 350 goal in his career.[161][162] On 3 April, Ronaldo scored the opening goal against Galatasaray in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.[163] On 9 April, Ronaldo scored twice in the second leg against Galatasaray to send Real Madrid to the semi-finals in the Champions League, winning 5–3 on aggregate.[164]
Ronaldo picked up an injury to his leg thigh muscle while warming up for the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg on 24 April, where he scored an away goal in a 4–1 loss againstBorussia Dortmund.[165] He was absent from Real Madrid's next game against Atlético Madrid,[166] but returned to action on 30 April for the 2–0 second leg victory against Dortmund (a 4–3 aggregate loss).[167] On 4 May, Ronaldo scored two headers against Real Valladolid in a 4–3 home win.[168] The British media reported that Manchester United chief executive David Gill was in Madrid to talk with Ronaldo's agent about a return to Old Trafford,[169] but other media outlets reported that United would struggle to re-sign him after the announcement of Alex Ferguson's retirement as manager of Manchester United.[170][171]
Ronaldo scored his 200th goal for Real Madrid on 8 May in a 6–2 win against Málaga. This figure made him sixth in the list of the club's all-time top scorers and the player that took fewest matches (197) to reach 200 goals.[172] On 17 May, Ronaldo headed the opening goal from a Mesut Özil corner in the 14th minute against Atletico Madrid in the eventual 2–1 Copa del Rey finalloss, which was also his 111 goal (201 overall) in his 100th home appearance.[173] He was shown a straight red card in the 114th minute of extra time of the final for an altercation with Gabi.[174]He was charged for the accumulation of yellow cards and violent conduct by the RFEF, banned for the two games in the last 16 of the 2013–14 Copa del Rey.[175]
Ronaldo ended his fourth season at Real Madrid as the Champions League top goalscorer for a second time in his career, with 12 goals. In the league, Real Madrid failed to defend their La Liga title, finishing runners up to arch-rivals Barcelona, and were eliminated in the semi-finals in the UEFA Champions League for the third consecutive year. Accounting for all competitions, Ronaldo ended the season with a total of 55 goals, having scored 30 goals with his right foot, 17 with his left foot and 8 with his head.[176]Real Madrid's failure to win major silverware last season and reports of division in the dressing room had prompted speculation that Ronaldo, whose contract runs until June 2015, might be seeking a move away from the Spanish capital.[177][178][179][180] On 8 June 2013, Ronaldo moved to quell the speculation over his future by insisting that he would reach a deal to renew his contract with Real Madrid in the summer.[181] On 3 July 2013, Ronaldo admitted that he was missing the English Premier League, but ruled out an imminent move back to Old Trafford.[182]
On 18 August 2013, Ronaldo made his 200th competitive appearance for Real Madrid in a 2–1 home win over Real Betis.[183] Ronaldo had not scored during the first two league games, but against Athletic Bilbao on 1 September 2013, he scored his first of the season in a 3–1 home victory.[184]
On 15 September 2013, after much speculation, Ronaldo signed a new contract with Real Madrid that will keep him at the club until 2018,[185] with a salary of €17 million (after taxes), which makes him one of the highest paid players in football. On 17 September 2013, Ronaldo scored the second Champions League hat-trick of his career in Real Madrid's opening group match of the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League, a 6–1 away win against Galatasaray.[186] On 22 September 2013, Ronaldo scored a brace in a 4–1 home victory against Getafe CF, including his 209th goal in his 205th game, to become the fifth highest scorer in the club's history.[187]
In his 100th game in the European competitions against Copenhagen on 2 October 2013, Ronaldo scored a brace as Real Madrid went on to a 4–0 home victory.[188] On 5 October 2013, Ronaldo scored a late winning goal against Levante, which made him the first player in the big five European leagues to score 50 goals in 2013.[189] On 23 October 2013, Ronaldo scored twice in a 2–1 home victory against Juventus to become the Champions League's third all-time highest goalscorer with 57 goals.[190][191] On 30 October 2013, Ronaldo scored his 18th La Liga hat-trick and his 23rd overall in a 7–3 home win against Sevilla.[192]
In a debate at Oxford Union in October 2013, when asked whether FIFA president Sepp Blatter preferred Messi or Ronaldo, Blatter paid tribute to the work ethic of the Argentine before taking a swipe at Ronaldo, claiming "one of them has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other". Real Madrid demanded – and promptly received – a full apology, and the Portuguese issued his own riposte with a mock-salute celebration after scoring a penalty against Sevilla, after Blatter had described him as a "commander" on the pitch.[193][194]
In his 106 away appearances for Real Madrid on 2 November 2013, Ronaldo scored his 100th away goal as he hit a brace in a 3–2 away victory against Rayo Vallecano, averaging 0.94 per game.[195] On 5 November 2013, Ronaldo broke the record held for Champions League goals scored in a calendar year with 14 goals, after he equalised for Real Madrid in a 2–2 draw at Juventus.[196] On 9 November 2013, Ronaldo scored his 19th La Liga hat-trick (one from open play, a penalty and a direct free-kick) in a 5–1 home victory against Real Sociedad, which made him second in the all time League hat-trick list. The direct free-kick was his 20th direct free-kick goal for Real Madrid, one more than free-kick specialist Ronaldinho scored with Barcelona.[197]
After his strong form in the 2013–14 campaign by which he had scored 32 goals from 22 matches played for both club and country by the middle of November 2013, including five hat-tricks, Ronaldo suggested that he could be in the "best form of his life".[198] On 23 November 2013, Ronaldo was replaced by Jesé in the 52nd minute against Almería after suffering a muscle strain, which would keep him out for one to two weeks.[199][200] Ronaldo made his return for Real Madrid in a 2–0 away victory against Copenhagen in the Champions League on 10 December 2013, and went on to break the record for most goals scored in the Champions League group stages with 9 goals.[201] His final match of the calendar year saw him score a header in a 3–2 away win againstValencia, ending the year with a tally of 69 goals in 60 appearance.[202] With the goal, he became the club's fourth top scorer in the league with 164 league goals, equalling the tally gained byHugo Sánchez. He also become the second top scorer in matches played away from home with 72 goals, 15 behind the record holder Raúl with 87.[203]
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