Cristiano Ronaldo at 35: 5 of the Portuguese legend's highest-scoring calendar years

#1 2013 – 53 goals in 44 games

Ronaldo's best calendar year was 2013, when he scored 53 goals in 44 games

By any mortal standards, scoring 53 goals in a calendar year is an achievement almost beyond belief. But to do it in 44 games – averaging a goal every 69 minutes – is simply ridiculous. The two seasons that encompassed the year 2013 – 2012-13 and 2013-14 – saw Ronaldo score a total of 106 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid, at the very peak of his powers.

The Portuguese opened 2013 by scoring two goals against Real Sociedad in a 4-3 win, and from there he went onto score 18 goals before 2012-13 was finished, including hat-tricks against Getafe and Sevilla. And the knockout stages of the Champions League saw him score 6, including 2 goals against his former club Manchester United.

The group stages of the 2013-14 Champions League – a competition Los Blancos went onto win – saw CR7 score a frightening 9 goals in 6 games, while the first half of that season’s La Liga competition saw him plunder 18 goals, including yet another 2 hat-tricks. Simply put, Ronaldo was closer to machine than man during this calendar year.

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Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

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Edited by Vishal Subramanian