Image Credit: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo has passed a landmark achievement in his career, having now scored over 500 goals for club and country following Real Madrid’s Champions League victory against Malmo.
With 501 goals in 753 matches, football statisticians at OPTA have calculated which players helped him towards this milestone the most, and the results are surprising. Though Madrid striker Benzema being at the top of the list with 31 assists won’t be too shocking, Gareth Bale sitting in fourth place with only two seasons at Madrid to his name will no doubt raise a few eyebrows, especially considering fans of the La Liga club aren’t exactly known for being quick to praise the Welshman.
Rooney and Ronaldo playing for Man U in 2008. (Image Credit: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
Bale sits above all of Ronaldo’s former Manchester United teammates in the list, with Ryan Giggs coming in at fifth place with 16 assists and Wayne Rooney in seventh with 10 assists, half of the goals Bale set up for the Portugal star.
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Take a look at the full list below:
- Benzema – 31
- Ozil – 27
- Di Maria – 22
- Bale – 20
- Giggs – 16
- Higuain – 15
- Rooney – 10
- Alonso – 9
- Marcelo – 9
- Kaka – 9
- Ramos – 9
- Nani – 9
- Isco – 8
- Modric – 7
- Rodriguez – 6
- Moutinho – 6
- Khedira – 6
Ronaldo has scored 9 goals in his last 6 games for Madrid, and is now just two goals behind surpassing Raul’s club record of 323 goals in 741 games. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has scored 322 goals for Madrid in just 308 matches, with him having also scored 118 goals for Manchester United, 55 goals for the Portugal national squad and 5 for Sporting.
