Cristiano Ronaldo Records 20th League Goal for 12th Straight Season
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 20th league goal of the season for Juventus on Tuesday in a 3-0 win against Spezia.
In an impressive display of consistency that spans three decades, the Portuguese forward has scored 20-plus league goals in each of the last 12 seasons—the last time he failed to log 20 league goals was in his final season with Manchester United in 2008/2009.
In the 89th minute with victory all but assured at Allianz Stadium in Turin, Ronaldo controlled a pass in stride on a counter attack and coolly placed his shot into the bottom corner with expert precision from just inside the 18-yard box.
Over the past two seasons, Ronaldo has now scored 51 league goals in his last 54 appearances, an astonishing figure for a player who just turned 36 years old. The former Real Madrid star currently leads Serie A in goals this season, averaging a league goal every 91 minutes.
Meanwhile, Barcelona's Lionel Messi is one league goal away from extending his streak of consecutive 20-goal seasons to 13, but the Argentine international won't have the chance to do so until Saturday against Osasuna.
Despite the three points from the win, Juventus still finds itself in third place, seven points behind rival Inter Milan, as the club faces an uphill battle to extend their title run to 10 straight Serie A trophies.