It’s no secret that Cristiano Ronaldo is an exceptional footballer and a magnificent goalscorer. As well as being one of the two greatest players of his generation, he will also go down in history as one of the finest players in the history of the game.
The Real Madrid superstar scored five this week as Espanyol were beaten 6-0, including a 20-minute hat-trick, and broke the La Liga scoring record in the process.
However, how does the former Manchester United frontman compare to some of the greatest goalscorers in the game’s history?
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In this article, we compare Ronaldo’s scoring rate in La Liga—that is, 1.13 goals per game—to the ratios enjoyed by some of the finest forwards of football past and present.
Pele
The Brazilian great managed 77 goals in 91 outings for Brazil, a decent standing by anyone’s standards…well, apart from Ronaldo, whose ratio would have given him 103 goals from 91 showings!
Miroslav Klose
The World Cup’s top scorer has managed an impressive 16 goals in just 24 outings on the global showpiece, winning the tournament in 2014. Ronaldo hasn’t yet won the Mondial, but by his scoring ratio, he would have managed 27 in just 24 showings.
Gerd Muller
Like his compatriot Klose, Muller is a fabled goalscorer, and one of the truly great finishers in the history of the game. He managed a whopping 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga outings, but at Ronaldo’s ratio, he would have managed 483!
Wayne Rooney
The England forward recently broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s scoring record for England, scoring his 50th effort in his 107th international outing. Ronaldo’s own record for Portugal is decent, but at his current La Liga scoring rate, he would have bagged 121 in 107…it makes Rooney’s record pale into comparison somewhat!
Alan Shearer
The Premier League’s all-time top scorer managed a hefty 260 goals in 441 games in the top flight, which is obviously pretty decent, but at Ronaldo’s rate, he would have managed 498! Puts things into perspective, doesn’t it…!?
Raul
The man Ronaldo toppled to become La Liga’s all-time top scorer, Raul, is a legendary figure at Real Madrid. However, while the former Spanish international scored 228 goals in 550 appearances, it took Ronaldo only 203 games to score 230 goals.