Cristiano Ronaldo had a banner year in 2015, but it was the way he closed it out that made it headline worthy. With a brace in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Real Sociedad, Ronaldo capped off his 2015 calendar year with goals 56 and 57.
It just so happened that those goals also came in game number 57 this calendar year for the Portuguese star.
FT. Real Madrid 3-1 Real Sociedad. Cristiano Ronaldo's brace means he has 57 goals in 57 matches in 2015. ⚽⚽⚽ pic.twitter.com/mXXa7Nw7Vy
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 30, 2015
The Best of 2015
- The 15 People Who Had the Best Year of Anyone on the Planet in 2015
- The 15 Most Memorable Moments of 2015
- The 15 Best Songs of 2015
- The 15 Biggest Sports Storylines of 2015
- The 15 Best Teams in Any Sport in 2015
- The 15 Best Female Athletes of 2015
- The 15 Best Male Athletes of 2015
- The 15 Best Games of 2015
- The 15 Best Coaching Jobs of 2015
- The 15 Best New TV Shows of 2015
- The 15 Best Superheroes of 2015
What may be even more amazing is that as of October 12, Ronaldo was sitting on a total of 42 goals to still lead all players in Europe with a 0.97 goals per game average according to talkSport.com.
He ended the year by cracking in 13 goals in all competitions, doing so in just 13 matches. He also had seven of those 13 goals in just three matches during those final 13 go-rounds for the calendar year.
As with all things Real Madrid, there’s always a connection to Barcelona. If one thinks Ronaldo’s 2015 was impressive, one should look at Lionel Messi’s 2012 when he scored a record 91 goals during the calendar year.
It was a record that stood for 40 years and one that Ronaldo’s 57 goals wasn’t even close to reaching. He still would’ve needed nine more goals to even crack the top 5 of all-time leading goal scorers in world football.
That fifth-place spot is held by Hungarian legend Ferenc Deák, who punched in 66 goals during the 1946 season for club side Szentlorinci and Hungary. It took him just 72 matches in between 1944 and 1947 to smash in 129 total goals.
