22nd May, 2011
Cristiano Ronaldo has broken the La Liga goal-scoring record with his 39th and 40th league goals of the season as Jose Mourinho-led Real Madrid thrashed relegated Almeria 8-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ronaldo scored from close range on four minutes for his record-breaking goal to overtake the previous best of 38 set by Athletic Bilbao’s Telmo Zarra in 1951 and equalled by Real Madrid’s Mexican legend Hugo Sanchez in 1990.
Ronaldo struck again on 77 minutes with a brilliant run and made it 40 league goals for the season and seal his first ‘Pichichi’ award for the league’s top-scorer.
It caps a fantastic season from the Portuguese sensation although he has just the Kings Cup trophy to show for his two seasons at Madrid.
“I would like to thank my team-mates for helping me get these 40 goals,” said Ronaldo. “The Pichichi award is for them and the fans.
“The season didn’t go as we wanted but the coach wanted a lot of goals from us to start the next campaign full of hope.
“Scoring 102 goals in a season is difficult and although it is possible to repeat but it will be very difficult.