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19.10.2021 » Cristiano Ronaldo and his Champions League records
Cristiano Ronaldo has laid the foundations for another stellar UEFA Champions League campaign despite Manchester United's topsy-turvy start to the competition. Heading into a must-win Group F showdown against Atalanta at Old Trafford, under-pressure manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will put his fate into Ronaldo's safe hands, where United are still marginal betting favourites with bonus-kampanjkod.se and other leading bookmakers. A series of underwhelming displays in the Premier League, coupled with United's Premier League inconsistency, has thrown the Norwegian's future in Manchester into doubt. It will be up to the legendary forward to save his former teammate's job and lead the Red Devils' Champions League knock-out surge against the current Group F leaders. Let's put United's bid to reach their first competition's knock-outs since 2018/19 aside and focus on some of Ronaldo's most eye-catching Champions League records.
Cristiano Ronaldo - His story in the Champions League:
Ronaldo's club and individual Champions League accomplishments
So synonymous with the famous Champions League anthem, Ronaldo holds numerous records in the competition, most of which no one will be able to replicate once he calls time on his illustrious career.
The 36-year-old found the net in both Champions League starts for Man United this term to become the player to register the most appearances in Europe's elite competition with 178.
A proven winner, Ronaldo boasts the competition-high 108 wins, something that may encourage the Red Devils faithful following United's mixed start to their Champions League campaign.
Having found the net against Young Boys and Villarreal in United's opening two Group F matches, the Portugal captain has taken his Champions League tally to a staggering 136 goals, leaving his arch-nemesis Lionel Messi 15 goals behind.
With four Group F fixtures left to go, Ronaldo will be looking to score in all six Champions League group stage matches for the second time in his career, a feat no other player has ever managed so far.
Considering his blistering start to the 2021/22 Champions League campaign, it is hard to make a case for CR7 not winning the competition's Golden Boot for the record-extending eighth time in his career.
Keeping Cristiano at bay is probably the most formidable task any defender in the Champions League can take. The quicksilver forward remains the only player to score in 11 straight games in the competition.
An obsession with records...
He is also the joint-record holder for the most Champions League hat-tricks alongside Leo Messi with eight, though he is the only player to bag three hat-tricks in a single campaign.
Ronaldo remains the only player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in the Champions League knock-out phase, doing so against no other but Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in 2016/17.
The ex-Real Madrid talisman has also tallied a competition-high 67 knock-out stage goals. However, with Man United's hopes of progression hampered by lacklustre early showings, his efforts to improve that record are up in the air.
Despite defending Juventus' colours for three years before returning to Old Trafford this summer, the record-time Italian champions are Ronaldo's favourite Champions League opposition.
Cristiano has racked up ten Champions League goals against his former employers en route to becoming the only player to score 10+ goals against a single club in the competition's history.
While enjoying a rise to stardom at Santiago Bernabéu, Ronaldo took his total Champions League title count to five, which is a standout achievement among his peers.
He was on the scoresheet in his first appearance in the Champions League final during his first spell at Man United, helping the Red Devils oust bitter Premier League rivals Chelsea in the 2007/08 showpiece via penalties.
Since moving to Madrid, Ronaldo troubled the scoreboard in two of his four Champions League finals to become the only player to score in three showpiece events.
And for those who still consider Ronaldo an egoistic, self-centered player, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has laid on more assists (42) than any other player in the Champions League history.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Manchester United is on October 20, against Atalanta. You can watch Manchester United vs Atalanta, Shakhtar vs Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool, Club Brugge vs Manchester City, PSG vs RB Leipzig, and Ajax vs Borussia Dortmund, all matches provided from our footy live game pages.
Manchester United next game:
Manchester United vs Atalanta kick-off time (20-10-2021):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:00
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:30
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 12:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / uefa.com / realmadrid.com
