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As 2018 slowly approaches toward its end, let us look back at what has been another remarkable year for Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.
From winning the Champions League for a third consecutive year with Real Madrid to a sensational departure from the Spanish Giants to Italian Kings Juventus, 2018 has been another incredible year for Ronaldo.
Since the beginning of the year Ronaldo has maintained the stellar form he has consistently displayed for over a decade now, and, as is so typical for the all-time great, he has broken numerous records this year to add to his already staggering footballing resume.
This article will go through four of the many records that Ronaldo broke this year, and whilst there are certainly more to choose from the ones picked for this article are perhaps the most significant.
1. Scoring in 9 consecutive international tournaments
Although the 2018 World Cup in Russia ultimately ended with Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal being narrowly defeated by Uruguay in the Round of 16 there is at least one thing Ronaldo can take from his time in Russia.
In scoring against Spain in the first game of the group stage Portugal's talisman set a record for being the first European player to score in 9 consecutive international tournaments.
This incredible record stretches all the way back to the 2004 European Championships in his home country of Portugal.
This incredible record shows that Ronaldo is not just great for his clubs but also shows up on the international stage for his country.
With it being pretty likely (touch wood) that Ronaldo will play in at least two more international tournaments before he retires from international football it is feasible that this record will go up to 11 consecutive tournaments which would be a record to truly marvel at.
Ronaldo scored consecutively in 2004 Euros, 2006 World Cup, 2008 Euros, 2010 World Cup, 2012 Euros, 2014 World Cup, 2016 Euros, 2017 Confederations Cup, 2018 World Cup.
2. Most expensive footballer (30 years old or older)
Cristiano Ronaldo sent shock waves around the footballing world in the summer of 2018 by announcing that he would be leaving Real Madrid after spending the peak of his career at the Spanish giants.
If you had told someone that Ronaldo was going to leave Real Madrid most would've assumed he would return to his former club Manchester United. However, in typical Ronaldo fashion, he moved to Juventus to test himself in another league.
With Ronaldo being sold to Juventus for £105 million the footballing legend set a record for being the most expensive player over the age of 30 in history.
What's truly remarkable about this record is that it shows that Ronaldo is still at the pinnacle of football, and where most would be considering retirement or travelling to lesser leagues in America or China, Ronaldo opts to move to Italy.
3. Breaking the European goalscoring record
By scoring his 85th International goal for Portugal Ronaldo moved one clear of Hungarian and Real Madrid great Ferenc Puskas.
Not only that but the Portugal great now holds the record for most international goals scored by a European player.
This is a record that will undoubtedly mean a lot to Ronaldo, and when one considers that he spent most of his international career as Left Midfielder and Left Winger it is a truly exceptional feat that he was able to achieve this, serving as a testament to his greatness and goalscoring prowess.
In addition, this now places Ronaldo in 2nd for total international goals with the Portuguese needing 25 goals to surpass unlikely leader Ali Daei and become the greatest ever international goal scorer, and with Ronaldo being hellbent on being regarded as one of, if not, the greatest footballer of all time he will undoubtedly be determined to break this record as well.
4. First player to win 5 UEFA Champions League medals
By defeating Liverpool 3-1 in the Champions League final, Real Madrid won an unprecedented third consecutive title and fourth in the last five seasons.
Whilst Ronaldo was undoubtedly pleased for Real Madrid's victory, on a personal level it was also a very significant triumph.
This victory saw Ronaldo's personal tally go up to 5 Champions League Medals which is incidentally a world record.
Although other players have won as many medals as Ronaldo when one combines the old European Cup medals, with the likes of Paolo Maldini sitting on 5 as well and Real Madrid legend Paco Gento sitting on an unparalleled 6, when one only includes the medals won during the current format of the club competition, Cristiano Ronaldo stands supreme.
Bonus fact: Ronaldo has as many Champions League titles as Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Barcelona.
BONUS: Becoming the most followed person on Instagram
Although not strictly speaking a footballing record, Ronaldo did become the most followed person on Instagram, overtaking former Queen of Instagram Selena Gomez.
Ronaldo boasts over 144.8 million followers which shades Selena who sits at 144.4 million.
Despite having a hectic professional life as well as a constant family life, Cristiano Ronaldo is a very active Instagram user, using the platform to not only connect with his fans and give an insight to the daily life of the Portuguese star, but also as a way to promote many of the lucrative sponsorship deals he has with a whole array of different companies.
As already stated this isn't a sporting record, it is, however, a testament to what a global appeal Ronaldo has around the world and his presence on the world stage transcends just the realm of sport.
