On Saturday, two months to the day since he was injured in the European Championship final, Cristiano Ronaldo will return to action against Osasuna, playing a previously agreed 60 minutes.
It’s great news for Real Madrid and coach Zinedine Zidane, whose start to the season has been atypical because of the absence of the Portuguese.
Not since he joined in 2009 has Ronaldo missed the beginning of a campaign, and although Los Blancos are off to the perfect start in LaLiga, they have missed his goals.
No less than 364 in just seven seasons, which allowed him to beat the record of Raul, who needed 10 more years to set the previous best mark of 323.
At 31, the player faces his eighth season at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu with the intention of confirming his status as the absolute King of Madrid.
Except in his first season, in which he scored 33 goals (in 35 games), he has always exceeded the 50 goal mark.
On two occasions (2011/12 and 2014/15) he managed 60 or more.
It’s the challenge from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, as well as teammates Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, that encourages Ronaldo to keep improving.
This season he is expecting fierce competition from the Welshman who, in recent games, has assumed a new striking role both for Real and his country.
Bale has already started the season well in scoring terms, in the absence of the other two members of the BBC however, Ronaldo won’t give up his title of top scorer – that he’s held for the last seven years – so easily.
Against Osasuna he will want to make up for lost time.
Marca,com
