When Real Madrid kicked off their clash with Atletico Madrid, many were certain Cristiano Ronaldo would score in this derby. Currently in top form, the Portuguese ace also has an impressive goalscoring record against Los Rojiblancos.
And disappoint, he did not. With the game in a stalemate, the 33-year-old broke the deadlock to give the host a lovely, albeit short, lead. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner timed his shot to perfection, connecting with a Gareth Bale cross to slot the ball past Jan Oblak.
Unsurprisingly, that strike saw the Los Blancos icon reach a number of remarkable feats. Most notably, that goal in the Madrid Derby was his 650th career goal.
To put this number into perspective, he had scored his 600th career goal on June 3, 2017 – only 48 games ago. This is his fourth quickest time needed to score 50 times.
It did not stop there. That was his 24th strike in his last 13 appearances, which means he almost averages a brace every game. This season altogether, he has 40 games under his belt – the 8th consecutive time he has reached this landmark.
Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored 650 career goals.
— Football__Tweet (@Football__Tweet) April 8, 2018
Real Madrid: 446
Man Utd: 118
Lisbon: 5
Portugal: 81
Insane numbers. pic.twitter.com/I3JNHOsx0M
Cristiano Ronaldo's career so far:
— bet365 (@bet365) April 8, 2018
903 matches
650 goals
221 assists
50 hat-tricks
116 braces
52 free-kicks
27 trophies
5 Ballon d'Ors
4 Golden Boots
3 FIFA Awards
Incredible.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in 10 consecutive games with Real Madrid (20 goals in total) for the third time in his career. He also arrived to 10 goals shortly before the World Cup in Brazil and reached 12 goals just after that World Cup.
— MisterChip (English) (@MisterChiping) April 8, 2018
.@Cristiano scores his 24th goal in 13 apps. In addition, the goal was:
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) April 8, 2018
His 650th for club & country
His 40th of the season (reached landmark for 8th successive campaign)
The 10th consecutive game he has scored in - 1st time done so since Nov 2014 pic.twitter.com/1zK5tTdmiV
Shortly after Simeone’s side equalized via Antoine Griezmann, Zidane subbed off the Ronaldo. It was probably a precautionary move to keep the former Man United star away from injury, as Atletico was up for a physical battle. Nonetheless, CR7’s 64-minute cameo was enough to show his deadliness in front of goal.