Cristiano Ronaldo began 2020 with a bang, when he assited Juventus an emphatic 4-0 victory over Cagliari in Serie A , with a hat-trick and an assist. He has scored 9 goals from last seven matches in Serie A.
But the strating of 2019-20 season was difficult for Portugese star as he was clearly struggling in Serie A in the middle of the season. That was compounded by the Ballon d’Or snub, where he was reduced to third place holder, struggle with injuries and ridicule from detractors.
The argument that his critics had was his age. Ronaldo, who will turn 35 in February, was almost written off in the face of achievements of Messi and few others. And there is alwaysplayers from next generation coming through. The argument was that at his age, Ronaldo would never be able to reach the previous levels of performance that made him one of the best in the world.
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As he moved from La Liga to Serie A, his scoring record dwindled. His statistics did drop as he scored 28 goals in 43 appearances. Compared to his Real Madrid form, where he scored more than a goal a game. Was that an indication? Though some supported CR7 with argument that it was his first season in Italy and teams in Serie A have better defensive set up than those in Spain.
Things started to change once it bottomed out in November, 2019. Since then he has scored 9 goals from last seven matches in Serie A. Previously he score only 4 from eight matches. And then he ended 2019 with the spectacular header against Sampdoria.
Competitions – Cristiano Ronaldo scored Hat-trick
Premier League
Serie A
La Liga
World Cup qualifiers
Euro qualifiers
Copa del Rey
Club World Cup
FIFA World Cup
UEFA Nations League
Champions League
Competitions, Cristiano Ronaldo scored hat-trick
With the hattrick against Cagliari, he set a tremendous mindblowing record as an individual striker. Cristiano Ronaldo is the second player after Alexis Sanchez to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. He scored hay-trick in all possible tournaments that an European could play. He also became the first Portuguese player ever to score a hat-trick in Serie-A.
Ronaldo also extended his number of career hat-tricks to 56. Ronaldo has scored 47 hat-tricks for club and 9 for the country during his illustrious career.
Added to his spectacular form with Portugal, he had now scored 26 goals in 28 games for club and country in 2019-20. Not a bad total for somebody supposedly in decline and one that compares favourably with Messi, who has scored 15 goals in 19 games – all for Barcelona.
Total Hat-trick by players 2008 onwards
| Players | Total Hat-trick |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 36 |
| Lionel Messi | 34 |
| Luis Suarez | 16 |
| Sergio Aguero | 12 |
| Mario Gomez | 12 |
| Edison Cavani | 12 |
| Gonzalo Higuain | 9 |
| Robert Lewandowski | 9 |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 8 |
| Harry Kane | 8 |
According to Ronaldo, the Juventus victory was the most important thing to him, he will undoubtedly be pleased with his performance. Scoring a hat-trick is, in itself, a fantastic achievement. However, as is often the case with Ronaldo, his hat-tricks are usually a bit more special.
“The year has started very well. The most important thing despite the hat-trick is that the team wins,” Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia.
“We played well and created a lot of chances. I am pleased with the hat-trick, but the most important thing was to win and put pressure on Inter.
“The team is getting better, not just in defense but in all areas. We must improve in all aspects, not just one. We are a complete squad and have to work together in every move.”
