MX23RW : Monday, January 13 07:55:23| >> :120:32552:32552:

Games and goals - Cristiano Ronaldo's record-setting Champions League career

Games and goals - Cristiano Ronaldo's record-setting Champions League career
© Reuters
The Manchester United forward scored his 136th Champions League goal against Villarreal.

Cristiano Ronaldo set a new record with his 178th Champions League appearance on Wednesday night.

The Portugal star passed his former Real Madrid team-mate Iker Casillas and marked the occasion by scoring Manchester United's late winner against Villarreal.

Here, the PA news agency looks at Ronaldo's record-setting career in the competition.

Appearances

Iker Casillas, centre, lifts the UEFA Super Cup in 2014, flanked by Real Madrid team-mates Cristiano Ronaldo, right, and Sergio Ramos
Previous record holder Iker Casillas, centre, and Ronaldo, right, won both the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup together in 2014 (Joe Giddens/PA)

Ronaldo made 101 Champions League appearances for Real and 23 for Juventus, with Wednesday his 54th across two spells at United.

Casillas had held the record since 2015 and made the last of his 177 Champions League appearances in April 2017 for Porto against Juventus.

The first 150 came for Real, including 53 alongside Ronaldo between 2009 and 2015 with the pair winning the 2014 title together – the long-awaited 10th in Real's history, hailed as "La Decima".

Messi and Xavi are the only other players to reach 150, with the former getting there on Tuesday night in Paris St Germain's win over Manchester City and now one behind his third-placed former Barcelona colleague.

There are 40 players altogether in three figures, with Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski the closest of several who could join that group after he moved within two on Wednesday night.

Goals

Ronaldo marked Wednesday's big occasion with his 136th Champions League goal, excluding the qualifying stages, to extend his record in that category.

He leads his long-time rival Messi, who on Tuesday scored his first Paris St Germain goal to add to 120 in the Champions League for Barcelona, by 15. They are the only two players even to reach 100, with Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski a distant third on 77.

Ronaldo's 17 goals in the 2013-14 campaign were an all-time record and he has been the competition's top scorer on seven occasions, including 2014-15 when he shared the honour with Neymar and Messi.

He scored in a record 11 successive Champions League appearances for Real from June 2017's final until April 2018 against the same opponents, Juventus – whom he would go on to join the following season.

The bulk of his goals, 105, came with Real, with 14 for Juve and 17 so far for United – having remarkably not scored until his 27th appearance in the competition. He shares the record of eight hat-tricks with Messi and is the only player to score in three different finals, in 2008, 2014 and 2017.

ID:466088:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5421:
Written by
P A

Click here for more stories about Cristiano Ronaldo

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the match on September 11, 2021
Read Next:
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hails 'best in the world' David De Gea after Villarreal win
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest20124429191040
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2044123145-1416
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!