Serie A's top 4 leading marksmen since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in Italy
A 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo joined Italian giants Juventus in the summer of 2018-19 following a hugely successful nine-year spell at Real Madrid where he won 4 Champions League titles, 2 Liga titles and a spate of other titles.
The €100 million deal marked the highest transfer fee paid by an Italian club and the highest paid by any club for a player past his 30th birthday. And it proved to be a deal worth its weight in gold as the record-scorer for Real Madrid belied his detractors by producing a successful debut season in Italy.
Unlike at Real Madrid, where he scored in his first 3 Liga starts, Ronaldo endured a 3-game goalless run in the Serie A before scoring his first Italian top-flight goal. The Portuguese marksman reached 10 Serie A goals in his first 14 games, equaling the record set by former Juventus player John Charles almost six decades ago.
Ronaldo ended his debut season in Italy by scoring 21 Serie A goals, five goals adrift of top-scorer Fabio Quagliarella of Sampdoria.
Let us now find out the top 4 leading marksman in the Italian top-flight since Ronaldo arrived on Italian shores in the summer of 2018-19.
#3 Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria) - 29 goals
The 36-year-old Sampdoria forward became the oldest Capocannoniere (top-scorer in a Serie A season) winner when he scored 26 goals in the 2018-19 season. That marked Quagliarella's best goal-haul in a Serie A season, bettering his previous best tally of 19 goals for Sampdoria in the preceding season.
Despite the forward's heroics upfront, Sampdoria failed to qualify for European competitions, finishing 9th in the table.
Quagliarella has had a slow start to 2019-20, scoring only 3 goals in 14 games, as Sampdoria find themselves a spot above the relegation zone after 17 games.
#3 Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) - 29 goals
In his first season for Atalanta, Duvan Zapata's 23 goals were only behind season top-scorer Fabio Quagliarella's tally of 26.
The Colombian striker scored hat-tricks against his former club Udinese and Frosinone as Atalanta recorded their highest-ever finish - third - in Serie A, to qualify for the Champions League for the very first time.
Zapata has scored 6 times from 7 Serie A games this season as Atalanta find themselves off the Champions League places after 16 Matchdays.