Cristiano Ronaldo news: Juventus star closes in on Messi in Golden Shoe race as he continues remarkable goal-scoring record
What's the story?
Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo continues his insane goal-scoring form at Turin, netting his 18th Serie A goal for the Bianconeri outfit so far this season, thereby adding to his already-impressive goal-scoring record and closing in on Barcelona ace Lionel Messi's numbers in the process.
In case you didn't know...
The Serie A table-toppers extended their lead at the top of the league to eleven points after they registered a thumping 3-0 win over Sassuolo on Sunday.
Sami Khedira, Ronaldo and Emre Can all found the net during the game, helping their side recover from their 3-3 draw at home against Parma last week.
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has praised his team for securing their first win in three games saying (via The Evening Express), "(Paulo) Dybala did well when he came on, so did Can and (Rodrigo) Bentancur. To play like this, everyone needs to contribute, but we should also compliment the team for how they dealt with the game."
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The heart of the matter
Ronaldo's goal has further intensified the race for the European Golden Shoe as he netted his 18th goal in the Serie A so far this season. This means that the Portuguese ace is only three goals away from Messi (21) in the race for the European Golden Shoe.
The former Real Madrid star has therefore moved up to third place in the goal-scoring charts only behind PSG star Kylian Mbappe and Messi himself.
His goal against Sassuolo also marks Ronaldo's 20th goal in all competitions, which means that the 34-year-old has scored at least 20 goals in all competitions in 13 consecutive seasons. He has done so in three seasons, with Manchester United, nine with Real Madrid and one with Juventus.
What's next?
Juventus will next face Frosinone in the Serie A on Friday before their big Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid on February 21.