Cristiano Ronaldo became the fastest player to reach a hundred goals in La Liga at the weekend following Real Madrid’s 5-1 hammering of Sociedad.
Bagging yet another brace took his tally to 101 in just 92 games, a mind-blowing stat made all the more remarkable when you consider that the player he surpassed – the legend Ferenc Puskas – plied his genius in an era when scoring a hatful was arguably a lot easier than today.
Love him or loathe him – and let’s face it, most of us fall into the latter category – there can be no doubting that he is a truly phenomenal footballer and the incredibly impact he’s had in the Spanish capital almost makes his obscene transfer fee a bargain.
Below are all one hundred goals – dipping, fizzing free-kicks, towering headers, individual efforts, the lot – and though it has no music to accompany it we suggest you stick on some Slowdive or perhaps ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady’ to soundtrack the man’s sensational achievement.
But of course it hasn’t all been garlands and glory. There is a reason the Portuguese trickster evokes a large slice of contempt in amongst the compliments – particularly when compared to the supernatural Messi – and it is because he is hardly averse to what is now termed ‘diving’ but used to be known quite simply as ‘cheating’. Now we’re not naïve enough to think that even Saint Lionel doesn’t exaggerate a fall from time to time but Ronaldo has taken the dark arts to another level as this clips package illustrates….
But perhaps this is no time to dwell on the negatives. The boy from Funchal isn’t just blessed with astonishing talent, he also exhibits it in a manner that strives to entertain and amaze. And for that, in an age when athletic power is dominant, we heartily salute him.
