MADRID — Next time, wait a little longer before wondering whether Cristiano Ronaldo has lost his scoring touch.
It turns out the Real Madrid striker is just fine.
After an unusually barren start to his season, Ronaldo came alive in the last two games, scoring eight goals.
He netted five in a 6-0 rout of Espanyol in the Spanish league on Saturday, and three more in a 4-0 victory against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday.
It was enough to make him Real Madrid‘s all-time leading scorer in the Liga, and move him ahead of Lionel Messi as the top scorer in the European tournament.
"I feel very proud and happy with this moment," Ronaldo said after his latest impressive performance.
Ronaldo was yet to score this season at club or international level, and was showing signs of frustration. He had innumerous chances in Madrid’s first two games in the Spanish league, many of them easy ones by his standards. It was clear he was getting upset after every miss, although he denied the scoring drought was ever a concern.
"My goal is at the end of the season, winning titles for the team, such as the Champions League or La Liga," Ronaldo said.
He scored his 33rd hat trick with Real Madrid on Tuesday, and third for the club in the Champions league. The Portuguese forward entered the match at the Santiago Bernabeu level with Messi as the Champions League leading scorers with 77 each. The Argentine playmaker had a chance to match Ronaldo when Barcelona played Roma in Italy late Wednesday.
"I’m very happy with the goals and the records," Ronaldo said. "I get a sense of pride from being in this position, but I have to mention the team, because the team has helped me so much."
His teammates have been the ones praising him recently.
"He simply never gets tired of scoring," defender Nacho Fernandez said. "We know how important he is for the team."
Coach Rafa Benitez said he was not surprised by Ronaldo’s impressive run.
"I know Cristiano Ronaldo‘s value and performance level," he said. "He is the best in the world, and is showing that in games and every training session."
Thanks in great part to Ronaldo, Real Madrid has outscored its opponents 15-0 in its first four games, three in the Spanish league, and the one in the Champions. But the defence has been just as great. It is the first time in Madrid’s 113-year history that it has kept a clean sheet in its first four games of the season.
"This is only the beginning," Ronaldo said. "La Liga and the Champions League are very long, and it is very early to say if we are impressive or if we are bad. We have to work hard, focus, be consistent, and then we will see what happens at the end of the season."
Real Madrid‘s next league match is on Saturday against Granada at the Santiago Bernabeu.
