Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed the goal total for a single UEFA Champions League season, with his strikes in Real Madrid's semi-final second leg win at Bayern Münich taking his campaign tally to 16.
The Portuguese international entered the last four with 14 goals in this season's competition, level with the record held by his Barcelona counterpart Lionel Messi. Ronaldo had equalled Messi – and, simultaneously, ex-AC Milan forward José Altafini's 51-year European Cup record – in the quarter-final first leg against Borussia Dortmund.
With Madrid already 2-0 up in Munich, the Portuguese forward set a personal landmark in the 34th minute at the Fußball Arena München, rounding off a devastating counterattack involving Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale for his record-breaking strike.He extended the record to 16 with another strike in the second half.
An incredible group stage performance laid the foundations for his achievement. An opening-day hat-trick against Galatasaray was an ominous portent for Ronaldo's Group B opponents, and the 29-year-old added doubles against FC København and Juventus. Ronaldo struck nine times in all, breaking the eight-goal group stage record owned jointly by Ruud van Nistelrooy (2004/05), Filippo Inzaghi and Hernán Crespo (both 2002/03) – and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who equalled the feat on matchday five this term.
The irrepressible Ronaldo then almost single-handedly dispatched Schalke 04 with a brace in each leg of their round of 16 contest, before another landmark strike against Dortmund, against whom he had registered his 50th UEFA Champions League goal in the semi-finals last year.
Ronaldo ultimately upstaged Messi in the scoring stakes last season for the first time in five campaigns – both players are closing fast on the all-time benchmark of 71 set by Raúl González. with Messi on 67, two more than Ronaldo.
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