The striker struck twice against Parma in a draw with Omar Sivori, the last player to score so many Serie A goals in a calendar year in 1961
Cristiano Ronaldo became the fourth player to score at least 33 Serie A goals in a calendar year by bagging a brace in Juventus’ 4-0 win over Parma.
The 35-year-old won in both halves as Juve traveled to a victory that moved them level on points with Inter and one adrift of Milan leaders, both of whom played their game in their hands on Sunday.
Ronaldo equaled Omar Sivori ‘s previous goal for Juventus since 1961 – the third largest in a year behind Gunnar Nordahl (36 in 1950) and Felice Borel (41 in 1933).
He could move further up the list as Juventus have one more league game to play in 2020 – a home meeting with Fiorentina on Tuesday.
@Cristiano it is the equivalent of Omar Sivori, the last player to score 33 goals in one calendar year into @SerieA_EN , in 1961 #ParmaJuve #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/o4ELf5aRmX
– JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) 19 December 2020
Speaking after the match, Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo praised his star striker and also expressed his delight with the whole team effort.
“This afternoon was the Juventus I wanted to see. We had to win this game, our rivals Cristiano and Alvaro [Morata] both had to get back to scoring techniques. We had to work as a group and Aaron Ramsey had a really good game too, “he told reporters.
“We are slowly achieving what we all want, not only me, but also the players. I especially like the high press when the opponents have the ball, we can win it back quickly and that will allow us to take control of the game. That spirit gets into the boys and we develop game after game.
“We are now aware that we are on the right track, that we will have this idea in every game whether we are against Parma or Barcelona. We have to push up, be aggressive and win the ball back so we can take control of the game. ”
Ronaldo’s 33 goals have come from 174 attempts – at least 67 more than any other player – giving him a bullet conversion rate of 27.73, which compares to 28.26 for Ciro Immobile, which is the next best score. high this year in Serie A with 26 for Lazio.
The Portuguese international has won 27 with his stronger right leg, four with his left hand and two through his head.
Robert Lewandowski, named FIFA Men’s Player of the Year on Thursday, has 32 Bundesliga goals for Bayern Munich from January 1, while Barcelona star Lionel Messi is just 18 in La Liga in the same period.