Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is set to receive a special honour during the UEFA Champions League draw for the 2024-25 season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has left the top stage of European football, but before leaving, the Portuguese star set an admirable record of 140 goals in the Champions League.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has called Ronaldo’s Champions League scoring record a big challenge for future generations of players. As a result, the European Football Federation (UEFA) has decided to award the Portuguese star the Champions League’s all-time top scorer award.
UEFA will present this special award to Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2024-25 Champions League draw on August 29 in Monaco.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the brightest stars in the Champions League sky. His extraordinary goalscoring record could stand the test of time, posing a huge challenge for future generations.
Ronaldo’s outstanding and consistent performances at the highest level are testament to his relentless pursuit of individual and team honours. Over the past two decades, Ronaldo has maintained his passion. His professionalism and dedication are qualities that every player aspires to emulate,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said of Ronaldo.
With 140 goals, Ronaldo is 11 goals ahead of the second place (Lionel Messi). Leo Messi has also retired from top European football, so there is almost no chance of challenging CR7’s record.
Among players still playing in Europe, Robert Lewandowski is the one with the closest scoring record to Ronaldo (94 goals). However, CR7’s record is still a nearly impossible challenge for the Polish striker, especially when he is 36 years old.
During his playing career, Ronaldo has had 7 seasons leading the race for the Golden Boot in the Champions League. Notably, in the 2013-14 season, CR7 scored 17 goals. This is a record of the tournament.
In addition, Ronaldo also set a record in the Champions League with the longest consecutive scoring streak (11 matches – from June 2017 to April 2018). He also impressed with 8 hat-tricks in Europe’s number 1 tournament.
Not only successful on a personal level, Ronaldo also won the Champions League 5 times with MU and Real Madrid. He is only behind 5 players in terms of the number of times he has won this tournament: Paco Gento, Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric and Nacho Fernandez (6 times).
