Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player to score 50 goals in the Champions League knockout stages and has also bettered Atletico Madrid’s total haul.
The Portuguese forward, with more than 100 efforts in total, has now reached a half-century at the business end of Europe’s premier club competition.
The Portuguese became the first man to net 100 times in the competition during his last outing against Bayern Munich.
He has now reached another notable landmark after an amazing virtuoso display in the first leg of a semi-final derby date with Atletico Madrid.
Ronaldo notched his 50th knock-out goal to put Madrid ahead, then doubled his tally in the second half. The Portugal star then wrapped up the game – and perhaps the tie – by clinching a hat-trick, thus taking his haul of goals in semi-final outings to 13.
More remarkably, even when taking his prolific strike rate into account, Ronaldo can now claim to have bettered the collective efforts of Atletico in Europe’s premier club competition, scoring a total of 103 goals in the tournament.
Ronaldo has 35 goals in 41 appearances this season and is fast closing in on 400 for Madrid.
