4 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo will finish as the top-scorer in Serie A 2019-20
Cristiano Ronaldo is halfway through his second season at Juventus after joining the Serie A giants in a staggering £88 million move from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018.
The transfer has since reaped massive benefits for the Turin powerhouse, who not only saw their social media following increase exponentially but also enjoyed the financial stock boost that came with such a big household name.
Ronaldo's maiden campaign in a Bianconeri shirt did not see him reach the lofty targets he normally sets for himself but he did lift two major trophies- the Serie A and the Supercoppa Italia- by the end of the term.
Individually, he netted 28 goals - out of which 21 came in the Italian top-flight - and provided 10 assists for the club in all competitions. He ultimately lost out on the domestic Golden Boot to Sampdoria's Fabio Quagliarella and finished at fourth place on the goalscoring charts. The campaign marked the fourth time that the Portuguese talisman failed in his quest to win the top-scorer gong and what's even more surprising is the margin by which he lost to the Blucerchiati's veteran striker.
Having said that, the 35-year-old recently commanded a goalscoring resurgence and looks well on his way to achieving his objectives this time around. He has already found the net 26 times across all competitions this season, with his most recent goal coming in the Old Lady's Coppa Italia 1-1 semi-final draw with AC Milan on Thursday evening.
In this article, we take a look at three reasons why Ronaldo could win the Serie A Golden Boot at the end of this season:
#1 The revival of Ronaldo's goalscoring form
Ronaldo has quashed early-season preconceptions surrounding the decline of his goalscoring standards due to his advancing age by commanding a revival of the killer instincts that made him a goal machine at the turn of the new decade.
The Portuguese ace became the first Juventus player to score in 10 consecutive Serie A games after scoring the opener during the club's 2-1 defeat to Hellas Verona last weekend. Incredibly enough, he has netted 15 goals in those 10 games, including braces against Parma, Fiorentina, and Udinese as well as a hat-trick versus Cagliari.
The former Real Madrid man's league tally for the season is now up to 20, which is five shy of chart-topper Ciro Immobile, and his streak definitely puts him back in the conversation to finish as the top scorer in Italy this season.
The Italian media has heralded his resurgence after doubts over his capabilities as a 35-year-old player arose in the initial stages of the campaign. The attacker was struggling for fitness just a few months ago, highlighted by his substitution during the Bianconeri's clash against AC Milan in November after which he went straight to the tunnel and reportedly left the stadium before full-time.
Ronaldo's spectacular turnaround is unlikely to encounter a roadblock as he also gets warmed up for the Champions League knockout fixtures that are just around the corner. Furthermore, the pressure that comes with the business end of the season appears to be one of his prime motivators and it won't be long before he surpasses or equals Immobile's goal tally in Serie A.
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