Juventus

The reigning Serie A champions revealed on Wednesday Italy defender Rugani has contracted COVID-19 but is not displaying any symptoms.

A club statement read: "Juventus Football Club is currently activating all the isolation procedures required by law, including the census of those who have had contact with him."

Rugani tested positive for the virus six days before Juve are scheduled to play Lyon in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

People who come into contact with someone who has COVID-19 are advised to self-isolate for 14 days.

No country outside China has been more heavily affected by the virus, which originated in Wuhan in December and was on Wednesday confirmed as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Italy has responded strongly to the outbreak, with the country placed on lockdown by its government and suspending all domestic sport until April 3.

According to the WHO, Italy has 10,149 confirmed cases of coronavirus and has seen 631 deaths as a result.

Rugani tested positive for COVID-19 last week – one of the key events in prompting a near-total shutdown of elite football across Europe.

Serie A is suspended until April 3 and a UEFA video conference on Tuesday will see clubs and national associations discuss how best to proceed with the Champions League, Europa League, Euro 2020 and domestic competitions amid the ongoing crisis.

In an interview with Juventus' in-house television channel, Rugani reported he had not suffered severe symptoms – such as respiratory problems – associated with the most serious cases of COVID-19.

"I want to reassure everyone by saying that I am fine," he said. "I have always been quite well. I have not had the serious symptoms mentioned.

"I consider myself lucky even if it was a heavy blow also because I was the first in our environment [and] served to raise the awareness of all those who had not understood the seriousness of the problem."

Rugani revealed he had been passing his time in isolation by watching drama series Peaky Blinders and reading the Harry Potter novels to improve his English, although he conceded being forced to spend time apart from his family was tough.

Asked what he had missed most from everyday life, the 25-year-old replied: "Embracing my loved ones.

"I am alone in the hotel and I will have to stay a little longer. The isolation is long and boring, for me as for everyone, so as soon as I go out, I will go to the people I miss and love."

Italy is the European country most affected by coronavirus, with 24,747 confirmed cases and 1,809 deaths.

The government has imposed strict lockdown measures, with public events and gatherings banned and all shops apart from food stores and pharmacies closed.

Like all major competitions across the world, Serie A is on hiatus as part of efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19, with northern Italy particularly badly affected by the virus.

Mancini was due to lead the Azzurri at Euro 2020 in June, but the tournament has been put back 12 months.

The former Inter and Manchester City boss believes sport can act as a social boost for a population hit hard by the events of recent weeks.

"It is a terrible thing for many families who have lost loved ones," Mancini told SportMediaset.

"I hope everything returns as before. I heard some guys [players], they are all well and I hope we can go back to playing as soon as possible.

"I hope it starts because football is also a very important social thing, then we'll see what will happen.

"And I hope this terrible thing will end soon. It will take a little more attention, but we deserve to go back to living as before. Everything that happened was unjust."

Serie A paused in the midst of a gripping title race, with long-reigning champions Juventus one point ahead of surprise package Lazio with 12 games remaining.

Mancini believes the unscheduled and lengthy break will lead to unpredictability if the action resumes, meaning he refuses to rule former employers Inter in third and free-scoring Atalanta in fourth out of contention.

"I think anything can happen because there has never been such an upheaval," he said.

"It's difficult to make predictions. Juventus are in the lead and remain the strongest, but anything can happen.

"Inter could also be back in the race and Atalanta. When you stop for so long it can change everything. Nothing is excluded."

It was confirmed on Saturday that Argentina forward Dybala is the third Juve player after Matuidi and Daniele Rugani to contract COVID-19.

Dybala said he and his girlfriend Oriana Sabatini have tested positive but both were in good condition.

Matuidi took to Twitter on Sunday to offer a message to Dybala.

"Keep shining bright like a joya hermano [roughly translated as jewel brother]," he posted.

Serie A remains on lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Juve top of the table.

Italy has been the worst-affected nation in terms of deaths, with 4,825 having died.

The Serie A club set up a GoFundMe page with local charity Fondazione Milan with the aim of gathering support for the Azienda Regionale Emergenza Urgenza (AREU), the emergency arm for the government in the Lombardy region.

Italy has been one of the worst-affected nations during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 115,000 confirmed cases and over 13,500 deaths related to the virus.

Only the United States and Spain have had more confirmed positive tests during the global health crisis.

Milan and Fondazione Milan got the ball rolling with an initial donation of €250,000, which paid for six AREU medical cars, before asking others to pledge to the cause as they set a €500,000 target.

With over 1,000 donors, they reached that goal on Friday.

Juventus began a similar initiative two days after Milan, with the club and players making an opening contribution of €300,000 towards a €1million aim.

As of Friday, Juve's fundraiser has amassed a total of almost €457,000 in donations.

Italy's football season has been suspended indefinitely due to coronavirus, with prime minister Giuseppe Conte banning clubs from returning to training before April 13 at the earliest.

Newspaper reports in Italy and his native France accused Rabiot of taking personal action in response to seeing his salary slashed, with all Serie A clubs taking such measures to protect their finances during the league's suspension.

But Rabiot managed to see the funny side, posting a photo of himself looking distracted to his Instagram story with the caption, "when you realise it was the last day of… strike" accompanied by laughing emojis.

A follow-up post featured an illustration of a medicine bottle, its label reading: "Newspapers-TV, press – do not swallow".

Rabiot has been self-isolating in France during the pandemic and remains there despite many of his team-mates returning to training in Turin, as Serie A edges closer to resuming.

His decision to stay in France is, according to a report from an Italian newspaper, what his "personal strike" has amounted to, though he is expected to travel to Italy on Wednesday.

He will be forced to endure another 14-day period of self-isolation after arriving, as the Italian government is instructing those returning from abroad to quarantine themselves in an attempt to quell COVID-19's spread.

The virus has been contracted by over 221,000 people in Italy, with more than 30,000 of them dying.

The 35-year-old returned to training with the Serie A giants on Tuesday as officials look to resume the season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a post on Twitter, Ronaldo was pictured smiling and offering two thumbs up.

"When we become patient and consistent, we find the way to get through the difficulties #backontrack #beresponsible," the Portuguese star wrote.

Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in 32 games for Juventus this season.

Juve were top of Serie A, in the Champions League last 16 and Coppa Italia semi-finals when the campaign was suspended.

Portugal international Ronaldo returned to his homeland earlier this week to spend time with his mother, who suffered a stroke earlier this month.

Due to travel restrictions in and out of Italy to prevent the spread of coronavirus – now categorised as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) – Serie A champions Juve are unsure when their star forward will return to Turin.

A statement on the Italian club's official website read: "Cristiano Ronaldo did not train [on Wednesday] and remains in Madeira pending developments related to the current health emergency."

A number of Serie A clubs have suspended training this week, but Juventus' players were again put through their paces midweek, ahead of next Tuesday's Champions League last-16 return leg against Lyon – who lead 1-0.

Gonzalo Higuain trained alone at Juventus Training Centre due to a minor injury and Rodrigo Bentancur withdrew from the session with a thigh complaint.

Maurizio Sarri's Juve beat rivals Inter 2-0 in a behind-closed-doors match last weekend to climb back into top spot in Serie A, one point above Lazio before the suspension of football in the country.

The Ethiopian politician and academic paid tribute to the trio, along with others from the world of sport who have called for individuals to take responsibility for limiting the spread of the pandemic.

Ronaldo posted a message on Twitter in which he urged his followers to "follow the advice of the WHO", while Klopp told Liverpool supporters to "think about the vulnerable in our society and act where possible with compassion for them".

Pogba told his 39.7 million Instagram followers to "dab to beat coronavirus" - as part of advice to cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than hands - while he also shared WHO resources.

"Thank you Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool FC for your powerful message to the world," Ghebreyesus wrote on Twitter.

"Put people's health first, reduce risks, care for the vulnerable and compassion: this is the WHO way.

"We will win the fight against COVID-19 if we are working together.

"The WHO is grateful for the solidarity being shown by Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool FC, Alisson Becker, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, FIFA, Peter Schmeichel, Andrea Radrizzani, Romain Grosjean and others in the world of sport."

Football in Italy is due to return this month after being suspended since March following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Juventus were a point ahead of Lazio when the campaign was stopped as they pursued a ninth Scudetto in a row, with Inter a further eight points back with a game in hand.

A serious second wave of infections would likely see Serie A brought to a standstill again and Bonucci thinks it would be better for all concerned in that instance if 2019-20 was simply scrapped.

"I hope we get to the normal end of the championship," the Juve defender told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "If that didn't happen, a lot of stories, controversies, appeals would come out.

"I'm not in favour of other hypotheses. If it stops, it's better to finish things there and not assign anything.

"Hopefully, we'll get to August 2 and declare a winner. Hopefully, it's Juve."

Juve will resume the season with the second leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final against Milan on June 12, with the aggregate score 1-1.

The Bianconeri are pursuing a possible treble in Maurizio Sarri's first season in charge since he took over from Massimiliano Allegri.

Comparing the two coaches, Bonucci admits to being "pleasantly surprised" by Sarri's way of working.

When asked to name the differences between Allegri and Sarri, he said: "They're obvious. Allegri is really good at managing the dressing room, the most difficult moments of the season, to make the team understand how to manage the tempo of a match. In his five years, he was a master at this.

"Sarri is meticulous, passionate about tactics, someone who likes to make the team play well. He's also learned in these months with Juve what it means to be Bianconero.

"I've seen us grow significantly. He has a wealth of football knowledge, but he has been able to question himself. He had the humility to understand the dynamics of the collective. I was pleasantly surprised, really."

Italy's top flight was suspended indefinitely last month due to the spread of the virus, and authorities have insisted they will not even consider resuming action until it is safe to do so.

Only the United States and Spain have been impacted more heavily by COVID-19 than Italy, which has confirmed 128,000 cases and almost 16,000 deaths – a worldwide high.

With the suspension preventing clubs from taking in gate receipts and other streams of revenue, they are being impacted financially.

League-wide pay cuts for players and coaching staff had been mooted, particularly since Juventus implemented their own such measures last week, and Serie A has now confirmed all clubs have agreed to act.

A statement read: "The situation needs the entire system to be responsible, with the clubs ready to play their part while facing huge losses in order to guarantee Italian football's future.

"These losses will have to be minimal because a reduction of costs will be implemented, when most of the costs are represented by salaries.

"Coherently with all the actions undertaken at national and international level, Lega Serie A has decided unanimously, excluding Juventus - who have already agreed such salary cut with their own players - a common line to reduce the impact of wages of players and managers of the first-team squads.

"This reduction, necessary to save the future of football, will be of one-third lump sum (as much as four months' salary) if football doesn't start over again or of one-sixth (as much as two months' salary) if we can finish the 2019-20 season. It goes without saying that it will be the clubs discussing the terms with their employees.

"Lega Serie A is monitoring the situation along with FIGC [Italian Football Federation], UEFA and ECA [European Clubs Association]. The will to finish the season has been communicated, but only without any risks as of when sanitary conditions and governments decree will allow it.

"Today's assembly has analysed the recommendations of the Italian Sporting Medical Federation on the training session restart at the present time. Within the end of this week the FIGC will issue the norms about it."

Following a government decree issued on Monday, Italy is on lockdown and all public gatherings are banned until April 3.

This development also means all sporting events in that timeframe have been postponed, throwing Serie A – which had previously been due to continue behind closed doors – into doubt.

Should Serie A resume on April 4, teams will have between 12 and 14 matches to cram in before the end of May, while some sides also have European ties to contend with.

FIGC has a limited amount of time to work with too, given Euro 2020 is set to begin in Rome on June 12, meaning facilities will need to be handed over to UEFA well in advance.

Italy's governing body is considering its options, accepting Serie A could either: finish early; be decided by play-offs; or simply halted and the title would go to no one.

A statement on the FIGC website read: "With reference to the recovery of Serie A matches, taking into account that the other leagues [Serie B, Serie C et cetera] have no international deadlines and therefore a wider margin of programming, the federal president proposed to the Serie A league to take advantage of all the dates available until May 31.

"If the COVID-19 emergency does not allow the conclusion of the championships, president Gabriele Gravina has submitted to the attention of the leagues concerned some hypotheses on which to discuss in the meeting of the Federal Council on 23 March.

"Without any order of priority, a hypothesis could be the non-assignment of the title of Campione of Italy and consequent communication to UEFA of the teams that qualified for the European competitions [Champions League and Europa League]; another would be to refer to the rankings accrued up to the moment of interruption; third and last hypothesis, to play only the play-offs for the title of Campione d'Italia and the play-offs for relegation to Serie B."

As it stands, Juventus are top of Serie A with 63 points – one clear of Lazio. Brescia, SPAL and Lecce occupy the three relegation spots, with the latter tied on 25 points with 17th-placed Genoa.

As of Tuesday, Italy is the most-affected European nation, with 9,172 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

A statement from Italy's Home Office on Sunday declared individual athletes - including those who play for teams - can undertake sports activities again, provided they maintain social distancing.

On Saturday, Sassuolo became the first Serie A club to confirm they would be going back to training since the season was halted due to the coronavirus crisis.

Others in the top tier have since followed suit, including Inter, who will make pitches at their Appiano Gentile available to first-team squad members, albeit on a voluntary basis.

"The resumption of competitive activities will be determined and communicated as soon as the relevant regulatory framework is finalised," Inter said in a statement. 

"All the other areas of the centre will remain closed with the exception of the on-site health and technical facility, which is required to ensure a safe environment and safeguard the athletes."

It is also reported table-topping Juventus - who sit one point clear of nearest rivals Lazio at the summit - have asked their players who are currently abroad to return to Italy, allowing them to undergo a period of isolation ahead of a potential resumption.

However, Spadafora had made clear full training will not be allowed before the country's lockdown measures expire on May 17. 

"I read strange things around but nothing has changed compared to what I have always said about football: the teams' training will not resume before 18 May and the resumption of the championship for now is not really talked about," he wrote on Facebook.

"Now sorry but I'm going back to deal with all the other sports and sports centres (gyms, dance centres, swimming pools, etc) that must reopen as soon as possible!"

Italy has been one of the countries to suffer the most during the health crisis, with over 28,000 deaths related to COVID-19.

Arkadiusz Milik hit a late winner for the Bianconeri at the end of a match in which winless Cremonese had created the better of the chances.

The Serie A strugglers were twice frustrated by the officials in the first half, while Cyriel Dessers then struck the post in the second period.

But Milik's free-kick crept past Marco Carnesecchi for another victory that moved Juve to within seven points of leaders Napoli ahead of their clash with Inter.

NBA icon Jordan won six championships across two stints with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s and was crowned MVP on five occasions.

By comparison, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo has clinched seven league titles in three different countries, most recently helping Juventus to back-to-back Scudettos.

And Lingard, who was part of United's academy during Ronaldo's time at Old Trafford, believes the Portugal international is football's answer to Jordan.

"I have to say Cristiano Ronaldo," he told Sky Sports when asked to pick a footballer who can be likened to Jordan.

"Everything he has achieved in his career. He has been at plenty of clubs and won many trophies. I believe he is a real icon of football, the Michael Jordan of football."

Lingard never played in the same side as Ronaldo in a competitive game but was on opposing sides to the forward in United's 2-1 Champions League win against Juve last season.

But the England international insists the former Real Madrid superstar has not posed him too many problems in the years since he left United.

"I have played against him a few times. Did he give me trouble? No, he wasn't too bad, to be fair," he said. 

"There was one game in pre-season where he came on and you could see the skills and the qualities that he brought.

"When he first came to Manchester United, I was 11 or 12. We did a skills DVD and it was him teaching us skills which was good. 

"That was the first time I had seen him. He was young and skinny when he came to the club."

Ronaldo was on target in the 51st minute at the Allianz Arena as he confidently tucked a penalty into the bottom-right corner after Bastos was ruled to have handled in the area.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner reached his half-century in 61 outings for the Bianconeri.

He promptly made it 51 goals three minutes later, Paulo Dybala going through on goal and laying the ball on a plate for Ronaldo to tap into the empty net.

The Juventus forward has shown no signs of slowing his goal output, finishing the 2019-20 season with 31 goals and a second Serie A title before firing in 12 in 10 league appearances this term.

In 2020 he became the fourth player in the history of Italy's top flight to score 33 goals in a calendar year after Omar Sivori (33 in 1961), Gunnar Nordahl (36 in 1950) and Felice Borel (41 in 1933).

That tally puts him top of the goalscoring charts in Europe's top five leagues this year, ahead of The Best FIFA Men's Player award winner Robert Lewandowski (32).

Portugal captain Ronaldo will be 37 by the time the 2022 World Cup kicks off in Qatar but hinted that he intends to be there.

"It doesn't matter the age. What is important is the mind," Ronaldo told BBC Sport, after being named Player of the Century at the Globe Soccer Awards this week.

"It doesn't matter if Cristiano Ronaldo is good, you don't know tomorrow what is going to happen. I live in the present, in the moment.

"The moment is good, I feel happy, I feel sharp and in a good moment in my life. I hope to play many, many years more but you never know."

Ronaldo scored a brace in Juventus' 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League on December 8 and followed it up with doubles in Serie A victories over Genoa and Parma – either side of missing a penalty in a draw against Atalanta.

Despite his impressive form, the Bianconeri are sixth in the table, 10 points behind league leaders Milan, and Ronaldo admitted the absence of fans at the Allianz Stadium frustrated him.

"I don't like to play in the stadiums without fans, it's like going to the circus but you don't see clowns," Ronaldo said.

"The pandemic has made people crazy. I hope soon they can open the gates of the stadiums.

"We have to live with that, we have to try to do a normal life but of course we have to respect the rules. But to play without the fans, I really don't like it."

The Juventus forward has shown no signs of slowing his goal output, finishing the 2019-20 season with 31 goals and a second Serie A title before firing in 12 in 10 league appearances this term.

In 2020 he became the fourth player in the history of Italy's top flight to score 33 goals in a calendar year after Omar Sivori (33 in 1961), Gunnar Nordahl (36 in 1950) and Felice Borel (41 in 1933).

That tally puts him top of the goalscoring charts in Europe's top five leagues this year, ahead of The Best FIFA Men's Player award winner Robert Lewandowski (32).

Portugal captain Ronaldo will be 37 by the time the 2022 World Cup kicks off in Qatar but hinted that he intends to be there.

"It doesn't matter the age. What is important is the mind," Ronaldo told BBC Sport, after being named Player of the Century at the Globe Soccer Awards this week.

"It doesn't matter if Cristiano Ronaldo is good, you don't know tomorrow what is going to happen. I live in the present, in the moment.

"The moment is good, I feel happy, I feel sharp and in a good moment in my life. I hope to play many, many years more but you never know."

Ronaldo scored a brace in Juventus' 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League on December 8 and followed it up with doubles in Serie A victories over Genoa and Parma – either side of missing a penalty in a draw against Atalanta.

Despite his impressive form, the Bianconeri are sixth in the table, 10 points behind league leaders Milan, and Ronaldo admitted the absence of fans at the Allianz Stadium frustrated him.

"I don't like to play in the stadiums without fans, it's like going to the circus but you don't see clowns," Ronaldo said.

"The pandemic has made people crazy. I hope soon they can open the gates of the stadiums.

"We have to live with that, we have to try to do a normal life but of course we have to respect the rules. But to play without the fans, I really don't like it."

The Juventus and Portugal forward was given the Player of the Century award at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on Sunday. The prize was given to the player considered the world's best from 2001 to 2020.

Even as the accolades pile up, the 35-year-old admits he is not enjoying the game as much as he did previously, and he puts that down to the pandemic keeping fans locked out of stadiums.

The Serie A season is taking place behind closed doors for now, and reigning champions Juventus have not been the force they were last term, sitting sixth after 13 games.

Ronaldo still appears to be coming up to scratch, with 12 goals in 10 Serie A appearances and another four in four games in the Champions League.

But the five-time Ballon d'Or winner said: "I have to be honest: to play in the stadium empty it's boring in my opinion.

"The players all respect the protocol and the health is the most important, of course.

"But I don't like it, to be honest. I do it because first of all I love football. I play for my family, for my kids, for my friends, for the fans, but I don't like it. It's so weird to play without [fans].

"I like it when the people boo Cristiano - when I touch the ball they go: 'Booo!'

"I hope in '21 they can change the rules and see stadiums full of people."

Ronaldo expressed hope that his 10-year-old son Cristiano Jr could follow in his footsteps and become a professional footballer.

But fitness fanatic Ronaldo joked that the youngster might have to adjust his diet to make it at the highest level.

"I'm hard with him sometimes because he drinks Coca-Cola and Fanta sometimes. I fight with him when he eats chips and fries and everything - I don't like it," Ronaldo said.

"Even my small kids, when they eat chocolate they always look at me and we have to be strong.

"But he has potential. He's a big boy, he's fast and he dribbles well. But this takes a lot of dedication, a lot of hard work.

"I won't push for him to be a football player. If you ask me if I want, yes I want but he's going to be whatever he wants."

Ronaldo, who has won domestic league titles in Spain, England and Italy as well as Euro 2016 with Portugal, appears to be defying his age as he flourishes for Juventus.

Earlier this month he became only the fourth player to ever score at least 33 Serie A goals in a calendar year, and the first since former Juventus forward Omar Sivori in 1961.

Since joining from Real Madrid in July 2018, Ronaldo has netted a remarkable 64 goals in 74 Serie A appearances, at a rate of one goal every 100.5 minutes.

He has also claimed 14 assists and struck the woodwork 13 times in those games.

Yet his latest award will only keep the argument rumbling about whether Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is the greatest player of this generation.

In the same period that Ronaldo has been wreaking devastation in Italy, Messi has continued to lead from the front at Barcelona, scoring 68 goals and supplying 35 assists in 81 LaLiga games.

Messi's league goals in that time have come at a rate of one every 100.1 minutes.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner insisted he still has more to offer at the international level this week, and he brought up 900 career goals by netting in Portugal's Nations League Nations League opener versus Croatia.

It was a typical poacher's finish that brought up Ronaldo's latest landmark, the forward beating his marker to Nuno Mendes' left-wing cross to sidefoot home and put Portugal 2-0 up inside the first half.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Ronaldo will now surely be targeting the big 1,000, though Pele's FIFA-recognised figure of 1,281 goals will surely prove beyond the 39-year-old.

As Ronaldo plots a route to four figures, we dive into the Opta data to look at how he reached his current total, highlighting the most interesting facts and figures.

Ronaldo's 900th career goal was also his 131st in 213 appearances for Portugal, with both of those figures being all-time records both for the Selecao and for any male player on the international stage.

The ultimate goal poacher, he has scored 109 of those from inside the penalty area, though only 20 have come from the penalty spot – he memorably missed his last spot-kick for the Selecao, versus Slovenia in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.

Ronaldo struggled at this year's tournament in Germany, where he had 23 shots but failed to find the net – the first time he has not scored at a major international competition. Only fellow Portugal great Deco has ever had more efforts at a single edition of the Euros without scoring, firing off 24 shots without success at the 2004 tournament.

However, Ronaldo does boast 22 goals at the World Cup/Euros for Portugal overall, winning the Golden Boot with five strikes at Euro 2020, five years on from captaining the Selecao to their maiden trophy. Only two of those, though, have come in knockout matches – versus the Netherlands at Euro 2004 and Wales at Euro 2016.

Still, Ronaldo's international legacy speaks for itself, and his achievements on the club stage are even more impressive.

Ronaldo scored five times for boyhood club Sporting CP before leaving for Manchester United, for whom he plundered 145 goals across two separate spells.

He has broken three figures with all but two of his clubs, netting 101 times for Juventus and being well on the way to doing so with Al-Nassr, for whom he has 68 goals. 

It was at Real Madrid, however, where Ronaldo earned his goal machine tag, scoring exactly half his career goals (450) for Los Blancos and helping them win the Champions League four times.

He is the leading goalscorer in Madrid's illustrious history, some 96 clear of former team-mate Karim Benzema (354), who represented the club 648 times, compared to Ronaldo's 438 appearances.

Overall, Ronaldo has scored 573 of his goals with his favoured right foot, with 173 coming via his left and almost as many – 152 – coming via headers, with his aerial prowess becoming increasingly notable throughout his career.  

What about dead balls? Ronaldo has converted 164 penalties for club and country, including a spot-kick in the 2014 Champions League final versus Atletico Madrid.

Ronaldo's free-kick taking has been an area targeted by those looking to do down on his achievements at times, but he has scored 64 direct free-kick goals throughout his career, the latest coming in a 4-1 win over Al-Fayha in the Saudi Pro League before the turn of the month.

Where, then, do Ronaldo's achievements rank versus those of his peers? Drum roll please... Ronaldo is currently some 62 goals ahead of his great rival Lionel Messi, who has 838 career strikes for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami and Argentina.  

With Ronaldo firing on all cylinders in Saudi Arabia and looking unlikely to give up the ghost at international level any time soon, few would bet against him extending that advantage before the two greats hang up their boots.