Among the names of the most prolific goal scorers of all time in soccer, Cristiano Ronaldo is the name that leads the list. Ronaldo has scored a plethora of goals over the span of 21 years. However, there were a few seasons where he could not live up to the standards he has set now.
Cristiano has scored a record total of 871 senior career goals for various clubs and his home nation of Portugal. Moreover, he is one of the few recorded players to have made over 1,100 professional career appearances.
Cristiano Ronaldo played for Sporting Lisbon’s U16, U18, U19, U21, B team and the first team all in one season.
He’s the ONLY player in the club’s history to do so. pic.twitter.com/c1t38vkK2H
— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) August 19, 2023
If someone wants to find Cristiano Ronaldo’s worst-ever performance in a calendar year, then he would have to date back to the 2002-03 season, when Ronaldo had just started his senior career. He started the season with Sporting CP, scoring a mere 5 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions. It was the time when he was still getting the hang of professional senior football.
Sir Alex Ferguson could sense the potential in Ronaldo, and United roped him in just after his sole senior season with Sporting Lisbon. He could not contribute that much in terms of goal scoring in the 2002-03 season as he was injured in November and missed the rest of the season. During that season, Ronaldo was still to play for the Portuguese National Team.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s illustrious career so far; A boy from Madeira turning into soccer GOAT
Ronaldo started his career with Sporting Lisbon in the 2001-02 season in the Segunda division. Sir Alex Ferguson later scouted Ronaldo and brought him into Manchester United. He won the FA Cup in the first season with United. He would also go on to win three consecutive Premier League titles and the Ballon d’Or award at just the age of 23 years old.
| Season | Goals |
| 2002-03 | 5 |
| 2003-04 | 13 |
| 2004-05 | 11 |
| 2005-06 | 18 |
| 2006-07 | 28 |
| 2007-08 | 43 |
| 2008-09 | 27 |
| 2009-10 | 36 |
| 2010-11 | 60 |
| 2011-12 | 65 |
| 2012-13 | 65 |
| 2013-14 | 56 |
| 2014-15 | 64 |
| 2015-16 | 64 |
| 2016-17 | 53 |
| 2017-18 | 50 |
| 2018-19 | 42 |
| 2019-20 | 40 |
| 2020-21 | 49 |
| 2021-22 | 27 |
| 2022-23 | 19 |
| 2023-24* | 15* |
| Total Goals | 871 |
Ronaldo then signed for Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2009, for a then-club-record fee of $100 million. Ronaldo enjoyed the peak of his career at Madrid, as he went on to score 451 goals in 438 appearances for them. Meanwhile, Ronaldo also won 5 Champions League titles and 4 Ballon d’Or awards while being the focal point of Real Madrid’s star-studded forward line. Ronaldo also won the Euros with Portugal in 2016.
What Cristiano Ronaldo did at Real Madrid should be appreciated more.
This is not normal. pic.twitter.com/IIq8YKAft8
— TC (@totalcristiano) September 14, 2023
Juventus came hunting for Ronaldo in 2018 and signed him for $107 million. He won consecutive Serie A titles in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. He played in 3 seasons for Juventus and still managed to bag 101 career goals for them. Cristiano returned to Manchester United for a short stint, but he made a bold move, shifting to Saudi Arabian Club Al-Nassr to play in the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo is still playing at a high level at the age of 38, and he shows no signs of slowing down. He is a true legend of the game, and fans will remember his career for many years to come.
