Cristiano Ronaldo at 35: A breakdown of the Juventus star's goalscoring record

Aged 22-26: Seasons 2007-08 to 2010-11

Ronaldo won his first Champions League with United in 2008

The season that saw Ronaldo turn 23 years old – 2007-08 – was the first that also saw him enter the discussion when it came to being recognised as the world’s greatest player. His brilliant 2006-07 saw him finish as runner-up to Kaka in the famous Ballon d’Or race – but by the end of the following season, he’d comfortably surpassed the Brazilian.

Ronaldo plundered a ridiculous total of 42 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions during 2007-08, and became United’s talisman – even above Rooney – as the Red Devils captured both the Premier League title and the Champions League. Unsurprisingly, the Portuguese finished as top scorer in both competitions, and scored one of his most memorable goals against Portsmouth in a Premier League game – a free-kick that saw him innovate his now-famous ‘knuckleball’ technique.

The summer of 2008 saw him score for Portugal in his third successive international tournament – Euro 2008 – with a goal against the Czech Republic in a 3-1 win. Links with a move to Real Madrid also emerged that summer; United even filed a complaint about the Spanish side with FIFA, but when 2008-09 began, the great man remained at Old Trafford.

December 2008 saw his first Ballon d’Or victory – hardly surprising after his exploits – and while he could not keep up his goal rate during the season, he did score his 100th goal, and then took the famed Puskas Award for a 40-yard strike in the Champions League against Porto. Ronaldo ended 2008-09 with a total of 26 goals in 53 appearances, winning another Premier League title along the way.

That summer saw him finally make his much-rumoured move to Real Madrid, for a world-record fee of £80m. Initially taking the #9 shirt, Ronaldo wasted no time in making an impact for his new side, scoring in each of his first 4 league matches with Los Blancos. And essentially, he didn’t stop throughout the 2009-10 season, bagging 33 goals in all competitions, despite ending the campaign without a trophy.

Now aged 25, Ronaldo headed into the 2010 World Cup as Portugal’s talisman and greatest player, and found the net yet again in a major international tournament, scoring a somewhat comical goal in a 7-0 victory over North Korea. He was unable to take his side beyond the round of 16, though, leaving his quest for international glory again unfulfilled.

Ronaldo turned 26 midway through the 2010-11 season, and it would prove to be a pivotal one for him, most notably in the goalscoring stakes. The Portuguese won his first trophy with Real – the Copa del Rey – but despite failing to capture a major prize, he scored a career-best total of 53 goals in 54 appearances, including a ridiculous 6 hat-tricks.

Somehow that wasn’t enough to net him his second Ballon d’Or – but thankfully for fans of his, the snub simply drove him onto even more greatness in the next phase of his career.

Edited by Sai Teja