Cristiano Ronaldo bags 760th goal, hailed as best goalscorer, Latest Football News - The New Paper
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Cristiano Ronaldo bags 760th goal, hailed as best goalscorer

Cristiano Ronaldo was hailed as the most prolific professional goalscorer in history, after registering his 760th senior goal to help Juventus beat Napoli 2-0 in the Italian Supercup yesterday morning (Singapore time).

The title of greatest goalscorer is much contested, and global governing body Fifa does not keep an official record, but several media outlets reported that Ronaldo's strike had taken him past Austro-Czech Josef Bican at the top of the list.

Bican, as well as Brazilian strikers Pele and Romario, scored over 1,000 goals during their careers. But those statistics include strikes in amateur, unofficial and friendly matches.

Ronaldo's career tally includes goals for four top-flight clubs and Portugal. His closest active rival is Lionel Messi, who scored a single-club record 644th goal for Barcelona last month.

The 35-year-old Ronaldo, who is the leading goalscorer for his country with 102 goals, previously played for Sporting Lisbon (five goals), Manchester United (118) and Real Madrid (450). He has scored 85 goals for Juventus.

"The incredible @Cristiano has scored his 760th career goal tonight, overtaking Josef Bican as the highest goal scorer in the history of football. What an achievement," former England striker Gary Lineker posted on Twitter.

While Ronaldo continues to enjoy a purple patch, the same could not be said of his former club Real.

The Spanish giants suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Copa del Rey yesterday morning (Singapore time), losing 2-1 to third-tier side Alcoyano, who scored an extra-time winner despite having a man sent off.

Real took the lead on the stroke of half-time through an Eder Militao header, but Alcoyano equalised in the 82nd minute. A corner kick was flicked on by Ramon Lopez to the back post, where Vinicius allowed Jose Solbes to take the match into extra time with a simple finish.

Lopez picked up a second yellow card in the 110th minute for a foul on Casemiro. But, instead of clinging on for penalties, the home side burst forward five minutes later and snatched a winner when Juanan turned in a cross from close range.

Real have now won only once in their last five games, with the latest loss piling more pressure on coach Zinedine Zidane.

But the Frenchman insisted his players still believe in him, saying: "We have to work. Whether my message gets through, you have to ask them, I can't answer that." - REUTERS

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