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Cristiano Ronaldo, love him or hate him, but there's no denying that he remains one of the most recognizable athletes in the world at the moment. One of the biggest reasons for it is the fact that he sits atop numerous goal-scoring records and has also achieved some unparalleled feats in his illustrious career.
What separates the 34-year-old superstar from the rest is his incredible work ethic coupled with his insatiable hunger to always finish on the top. To sum it up, he is a goal-scoring, record-breaking extraordinaire, who despite being in the final stages of his career is still heading full steam ahead, having won three trophies with club and country and scoring a total of 28 goals for his club in the 2018/19 season.
As he's proven throughout his career, first, at Manchester United and then at Real Madrid, he is the real deal. For the last 10 years, he has been breaking records left, right and centre and as things stand after completing one year in Juventus, he now looks poised to carve his name into even more records this season.
So, with the new season all set to take off in Italy, we take a look at the 5 records that the Portuguese talisman can add to his already astonishing list by either breaking or equaling them in the upcoming campaign.
#5 First player to be the top goalscorer in three of Europe's top 5 leagues
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's make it clear that there have been strikers who've finished as top goalscorers in three or more leagues.
Current Barcelona star Luis Suarez (Premier League, LaLiga and Eredivisie) and Dutch legend Ruud van Nistelrooy (same as Suarez) have won the Golden Boot in three European leagues, but no player has ever won it in the PL, LaLiga and Serie A, considered to be three of the big five European leagues.
Though Ronaldo finished as Juventus' top goalscorer with 21 goals in his debut season, he was only the fourth-best finisher in Italy, behind veteran Fabio Quagliarella, Duvan Zapata and AC Milan's Krzysztof Piatek.
Scoring goals is something that comes naturally to him, though it took him four games to break his duck last season, he looks in good touch now, as seen in the pre-season games.
The fact that he scored more than 20 goals in his first season, surely would've given the Portuguese a boost and now under Maurizio Sarri, he must have his eyes set on the Capocannoniere.
Having already top-scored in the Premier League for the Red Devils in the 2007/08 season and taken home the Pichichi on three occasions (2010/11, 2013/14, 2014/15), he can now become the first man to be the leading goalscorer in the EPL, LaLiga and Serie A, a feat that will surely make him the greatest goalscorer of all time, if not the GOAT.
#4 First Player to score 10 Hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League
The Champions League is a competition where Ronaldo has been at his dominant best in recent years. The Portuguese has lifted the trophy four times this decade and finished as the top scorer on six of the previous seven campaigns.
He already has a goalscoring milestone to his name in becoming the first player to reach a century of goals and now has a golden chance to add the title of being the first player to reach 10 hat-tricks in the competition.
At present, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is tied with his eternal rival Lionel Messi in terms of hat-tricks scored with both legends managing a three-goal haul on eight occasions so far.
Though this honour might as well go to Messi, odds are in the favour the former Manchester United man to reach the iconic landmark first, given his penchant for finding the back of the net in the competition.
It should be noted that the group stage draws to be held in Monaco later this month, will also have a say in the matter, but one thing's for sure, given Messi and Ronaldo's evergreen form we are bound to get our first double-digit hat-trick man in the UCL this campaign itself.
#3 First player to score 30+ goals in a single campaign with 3 different teams in 3 different leagues
The 30-goal mark remains highly coveted as ever among top strikers of the game. The fact that only Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe managed a return of more than 30 goals (36 and 33 respectively) in any of Europe's top leagues is a testament of how difficult it is to reach the fabled tally.
If there's anyone who you would want to bet your money on to reach that mark, Ronaldo might be a safe choice. The 34-year-old has produced a 30+ goal return in seven seasons, once with Manchester United and then on six consecutive occasions between 2011-2016 with Real Madrid.
Though there have been lots of prolific strikers who've reached the mark, there has never been a player who has managed to achieve the feat with three different teams in three different leagues.
Ronaldo, as we all know loves a challenge and heading into the new season, there's no better challenge than to head into the uncharted territory of being the first player in history to have scored 30 or more goals in three of Europe's top five leagues.
He also has additional backing from new manager Maurizio Sarri, who has already declared that he wants to help the forward break even more records and overcome new challenges.
#2 Ronaldo can equal the record for most Champions League titles won by a player
As mentioned earlier, the Champions League is the competition that brings out the best in Ronaldo and rightly so. Following a hat-trick of triumphs at the competition with Madrid, he faced a disappointment with Bianconeri after they crashed in the quarter-final stages to Ajax last season.
The five-time winner will now be desperate to lift the title again this term and end Juventus' Champions League drought. Should he help guide the current Serie A champions to continental glory, it will be Ronaldo's sixth European Cup title. That would bring him to level with fellow Madrid legend Paco Gento to become the player with the most Champions League trophies.
The star is already the all-time top scorer in the Champions League finals with four goals to his name in six appearances and also has the most appearances of any player in the finals (level with AC Milan legend Maldini), though he has a long way to go in order to match fellow Real Madrid legends Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas' record of 7 goals in the finals of the erstwhile European Cup.
#1 Winning the Champions League with three different clubs
Real Madrid created history when they became the first club to retain the Champions League trophy for three consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2018, majorly thanks to the brilliance of Ronaldo, who was the top scorer in each of those campaigns.
He first tasted success at the continental stage in 2008 with Manchester United and should he also light up the pitch with Juventus this campaign, he will find himself in the elite company of Clarence Seedorf, the only man to have lifted the Champions League trophy with three different clubs.
Having already won the league title in three different countries (England, Spain and Italy), winning the European title with three clubs is something that has got to be on the superstar's bucket list.
Of course, it is worth remembering that it has been 23 years since The Old Lady were last crowned champions of Europe. Still, with a seasoned star like Ronaldo on board, they will be among the favourites to win the competition come the new season.
