Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo is a doubt for Juventus' Serie A clash against AC Milan on Sunday, according to manager Maurizio Sarri.

Per Football Italia, the tactician also provided an update on Matthijs de Ligt's recovery ahead of Sunday's match: "I don't know if [Ronaldo] can play yet, we'll see what he is able to do today and also tomorrow morning. It's nothing serious, just a pain in his knee that then leads him to unbalance his posture during games. Matthijs de Ligt had a positive response to tests on his ankle and we'll see today, as he'll train with the squad."

De Ligt missed out on the 2-1 win over Lokomotiv Moscow in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, while Ronaldo was substituted in the second half.

After the match, Sarri explained to reporters he made the change because the 34-year-old's knee has been bothering him.

Per Goal, the former Chelsea and Napoli boss was protecting his star forward:

Sarri explains Ronaldo's fiery reaction to being substituted on Wednesday night 🧐 pic.twitter.com/vdNxNqimxd

— GOAL (@goal) November 7, 2019

The switch worked out, with Gonzalo Higuain setting up Douglas Costa for a late winner.

Higuain spent the first half of last season on loan at Milan, making Sunday's match against the Rossoneri a special one for him.

Sarri believes the added motivation could lead to good things "Gonzalo's history shows he needs strong motivation to give his best. He is currently in good shape both physically and psychologically, so he can and is giving the team a great contribution. He's really helping in the build-up, I feel he can do a tiny bit more in the finishing, so should go for goal himself more."

Sarri also said Leonardo Bonucci won't be rested, with the team's defence incapable of surviving without him. The 32-year-old has been an automatic starter since Giorgio Chiellini went down with an injury in August, mostly pairing with De Ligt in the heart of the defence.

He played next to Daniele Rugani in Moscow, but football writer Adam Digby felt that did not work out well:

Bonucci & Rugani completely switched off. 1-1. Awful "defending" from both central defenders there

— Adam Digby (@Adz77) November 6, 2019

De Ligt will likely replace Rugani on Sunday if his ankle is sufficiently healed. Rugani has made two starts so far this season and disappointed in both, but he is the most experienced option off the bench. Merih Demiral hasn't received any playing time since the 2-1 win over Hellas Verona in September.

Costa was the hero in Moscow and is expected to make his first start since August on Sunday. The Brazilian missed nine games because of injury, and adding his creativity and athleticism will boost Juventus.

Milan have won just four of their 11 Serie A matches so far and started the weekend in 13th place. Juventus came into the weekend in the lead, with Inter Milan one point behind. The Nerazzurri will face Hellas on Saturday.

Juventus have seen an appeal to take the 2005-06 Serie A title away from Inter Milan rejected for the 30th time.

Tancredi Palmeri of beIN Sports relayed the news on Twitter:

JUST IN: Sports Court rejected the 30th appeal from Juventus to have the 2006 title taken away from Inter.

At this point, if they file the 31st appeal, next verdict filed by judge will be:
“Dude. Seriously”

— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) November 7, 2019

The Bianconeri were stripped of the 2004-05 and 2005-06 titles for their part in the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal, with the latter handed to Inter.

Inter had originally finished third in the league that year behind AC Milan, but the latter were also implicated in the scandal—alongside Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina—and docked 30 points, leaving the Nerazzurri to be crowned champions.

The 2004-05 Scudetto was not awarded to anyone else.

Since the 2005-06 title was given to Inter, Juve have been trying to have it taken off them. According to Palmeri, their last appeal was rejected in August.

The Bianconeri were relegated to Serie B for their role in the scandal, and seeing their title handed to their biggest rivals will have been painful to the club and the supporters.

The 2005-06 Scudetto became the first of five consecutive title wins for Inter, but since regaining it in 2011-12, Juve have now won it eight years running. In that time, Inter have never finished higher than fourth.

The Nerazzurri have new hope of challenging Juve this season, though, thanks to former Bianconeri boss Antonio Conte. Under the Italian, Inter have accrued 28 points from their first 11 matches, leaving them just one behind Juventus.

Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey has said he apologised to team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo after tapping in against Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday to deny the Portuguese a UEFA Champions League record. 

Ramsey, 28, prodded the opener over the line in a 2-1 win at the RZD Arena after Lokomotiv goalkeeper Guilherme fumbled Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick.

The initial attempt looked to be travelling over the line despite Guilherme's save attempt, but Ramsey told reporters he wasn't certain the ball would make it over the line.

He said: "I thought the keeper was a lot closer to me and had a chance of diving back and maybe clearing it. My instinct took over to make sure that it went over the line. I've apologised to Cristiano."

Ronaldo, 34, has scored against 33 different clubs in Europe's top-tier competitions, level with fellow Real Madrid icon Raul and Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner would have become the first player to score against 34 clubs with a goal in Moscow, Russia, but he was substituted before Douglas Costa's injury-time winner, via BT Sport (UK viewers only):

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker noted Ronaldo's disappointment at missing the landmark goal, though his grins to team-mates following the strike suggested he was at ease:

Following a Ronaldo freekick that was hopelessly spilled by the Lokomotiv keeper, Aaron Ramsey tapped it in as it was just going over the line. Ronaldo may not be happy with Mr Ramsey....or will the great man get it overturned?

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) November 6, 2019

One can understand why Ramsey—who was making his first start since September following an adductor injury—was so motivated to make sure of the goal and have an impact himself.

The Welshman took to Twitter after Juve sealed their place in the Champions League round of 16:

Knock outs here we come 💪🏼 #ForzaJuve #ChampionsLeague @juventusfc pic.twitter.com/LGobjRix82

— Aaron Ramsey (@aaronramsey) November 6, 2019

Ramsey may have prevented Ronaldo from making European history, but his tap-in from less than a yard sealed his own spot in the history books, per Squawka:

Aaron Ramsey is the first British player to score for Juventus in the Champions League.

Just ask Cristiano Ronaldo what he thinks about that. 📏 pic.twitter.com/tvZYtE8WUc

— Squawka (@Squawka) November 6, 2019

Juventus hold a three-point advantage over Group D rivals Atletico Madrid after the latter lost 2-1 at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

Manager Maurizio Sarri told reporters after the match that Ronaldo was taken off when the scores were tied 1-1 due to an existing knee injury.

The Portuguese will hope to return to the lineup in time for Sunday's Serie A fixture at home to AC Milan, where Ramsey will also look to keep his spot in Sarri's XI.

Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri has said Cristiano Ronaldo is "not in great shape" and coping with a knee injury after he was replaced during Wednesday's 2-1 win away to Lokomotiv Moscow. 

Ronaldo, 34, looked upset after he was taken off in the 82nd minute of the UEFA Champions League clash at RZD Arena, not long before Douglas Costa—an earlier substitute—scored the winner in injury time.

Sarri spoke to reporters after the result and explained Ronaldo carried a knee injury into the match, adding he took the player off as a precaution:

"Ronaldo is not in great shape at the moment, as over the last few days he's had a bad knee, so to compensate for it he is putting more strain on the adductor.

"He was already irritable towards half-time because it was causing him problems. On a sprint, he made a movement I didn't like the look of, so I was afraid he'd really hurt himself and decided it was best to take him off."

The manager was ultimately vindicated in his decision after Costa stepped up to net a superbly taken winner in the 93rd minute:

Ronaldo was denied his second European goal of the season when midfielder Aaron Ramsey stole in to touch his saved free-kick over the line:

https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1192274567995125760

The result meant Sarri's side climbed three points above Atletico Madrid in Champions League Group D after the Spaniards lost 2-1 away to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

The Bianconeri are now guaranteed to finish among the top two in their pool and will proceed to the round of 16 for a sixth season in a row.

Sarri will perhaps be wary of his side growing too reliant on Ronaldo, who is contracted to the Old Lady until June 2022.

Italian football writer Adam Digby praised the manager for his confidence in making changes despite the scores being level when Ronaldo came off:

Douglas Costa deserves all the credit in the world for that sensational goal, but also have to tip your hat to Sarri. At 1-1 away from home he wasn't happy with a point, sends on Dybala, Costa & Bentancur, gets rewarded for it

— Adam Digby (@Adz77) November 6, 2019

The upcoming international break is well timed in that it could give Ronaldo a chance to recuperate. However, Portugal manager Fernando Santos may have other plans in mind ahead of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Lithuania (Nov. 14) and Luxembourg (Nov. 17).

Serie A leaders Juventus will host 11th-place AC Milan on Sunday evening, when they'll hope to extend their unbeaten start to the season having yet to taste defeat in 15 games under Sarri.

Juventus are heading to the knockout phase of the Champions League, and they have Douglas Costa to thank.

The crafty winger's stoppage time goal gave Juventus a 2-1 victory over Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday at the RZD Arena. 

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1192168137829031936

Aaron Ramsey scored the opening goal in the drama-filled result for Juventus, while Aleksey Miranchuk posted the lone goal for the home side.

With the victory, Juventus moved to 10 points in Group D, enough to guarantee their place in the Round of 16. Lokomotiv, meanwhile, will be eliminated if Atletico Madrid win one of their final three games. 

It wasn't the prettiest victory for Juventus, even if they held 68 percent of possession and put more goals on target (9-6), per Goal.com. It was Lokomotiv that looked more likely to score the game-winning goal in the second half, as their ambition on the counter put Juventus on their heels on several occasions.

Juve, meanwhile, were a bit more plodding than one might expect:

Are Juve always this boring to watch?

— Ed Malyon (@eaamalyon) November 6, 2019

But Costa cured the doldrums with a winding, weaving run through Lokomotiv's defense before playing a tidy one-two with Gonzalo Higuain. From there, he dribbled into space between two defenders and slotted home past goalkeeper Guilherme, concluding a brilliant move and crucial win:

That earned him all the necessary plaudits, as one might expect:

douglas costa is a wizard and we must respect his powers oh my goodness

— Aaron West (@oeste) November 6, 2019

Human highlight reel stuff from that Douglas Costa....

— Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) November 6, 2019

Master stroke putting in Douglas Costa to save the game for Juve. An incredible solo goal with the help of the return backheel pass from Higuain.

Sarri said during the summer that Costa had only shown half of what he can truly do.

— Matteo Bonetti (@Bonetti) November 6, 2019

Ramsey, meanwhile, might want to avoid Cristiano Ronaldo for a day or two after stealing a goal from him.

Ronaldo's free kick from about 30 yards out in the third minute was blasted directly at Guilherme, who flubbed the effort and let it dribble through his legs, toward the goal. The ball would have surely rolled past the line on its own, but Ramsey swooped in at the last moment, getting credit for the goal. 

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1192141253472903169

It was a historic score, even if the prevailing joke after Ramsey's goal theft was that his Portuguese teammate might be left feeling a touch vexed:

300 - Aaron Ramsey's goal was the 300th Juventus have scored in the #UCL, the fifth team to reach this total in the competition (after Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United). Spartan. pic.twitter.com/effXlepjaX

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 6, 2019

Aaron Ramsey is the first British player to score for Juventus in the Champions League.

Just ask Cristiano Ronaldo what he thinks about that. 📏 pic.twitter.com/tvZYtE8WUc

— Squawka (@Squawka) November 6, 2019

Cristiano Ronaldo trying to get his hands on Aaron Ramsey at half time 😹 pic.twitter.com/aq7kiRlkJ1

— GOAL (@goal) November 6, 2019

Cristiano Ronaldo about to score his first direct free-kick goal for Juventus!

Aaron Ramsey: pic.twitter.com/H0OQQvVNLc

— Adriano Del Monte (@adriandelmonte) November 6, 2019

Following a Ronaldo freekick that was hopelessly spilled by the Lokomotiv keeper, Aaron Ramsey tapped it in as it was just going over the line. Ronaldo may not be happy with Mr Ramsey....or will the great man get it overturned?

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) November 6, 2019

Regardless, Juventus had the early goal, and would have been expected to mop up the game from there with minimal drama.

But Lokomotiv remained bright and composed, and less than 10 minutes later had their equalizer. Maciej Rybus' cross into the box found Miranchuk, who beat goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny with a header. He didn't beat the right bar, however, and the shot bounced back into the box.

No matter—Miranchuk was there to clean up his own miss, easily tapping home to make it 1-1.

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1192144402816352257

Wednesday's 2-1 loss could have easily been flipped for Lokomotiv, who played well throughout this contest.But in the end, Juventus' superior individual talent won out, as Maurizio Sarri had the luxury of bringing Costa off the bench, with the winger remaining less than 100 percent.

Juventus didn't need 100 percent on Wednesday, however—they just needed that one burst of joy from Costa, and they got it in the nick of time. On to the knockout phase they go, with two games to spare.

                                    

What's Next?

Juventus face AC Milan in Serie A action on Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET, while Lokomotiv will take on FC Krasnodar that same day at 11 a.m. ET in a Russian Premier League showdown of top-four teams.

Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt is out of the team's UEFA Champions League clash with Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday with an ankle injury. 

Per Football Italia, the Dutch international wasn't included in the travelling party for the match in Moscow after picking up an ankle sprain in Saturday's 1-0 win over Torino, in which he scored the only goal.

Football Italia also provided the full squad:

Szczesny, De Sciglio, Pjanic, Khedira, Ronaldo, Ramsey, Dybala, Douglas Costa, Alex Sandro, Danilo, Matuidi, Bonucci, Higuain, Rugani, Rabiot, Demiral, Bentancur, Pinsoglio, Bernardeschi, Buffon

De Ligt's issue is not said to be serious, meaning he will likely be ready for the Serie A showdown with AC Milan in Turin on Sunday.

De Ligt's absence means manager Maurizio Sarri will likely choose between Daniele Rugani and Merih Demiral to partner Leonardo Bonucci at the Lokomotiv Stadium in defence. Giorgio Chiellini is sidelined with a long-term knee injury.

De Ligt will be relieved that the injury doesn't appear to be long term after he made a big step forward in his Juventus career in the Derby della Mole. 

The 20-year-old was on hand to prod home a 70th-minute winner against Torino:

In addition to his goal, the defender was strong at the base of the team for his team, helping keep the dangerous Andrea Belotti quiet over the course of the 90 minutes.

While De Ligt shone for Ajax last season, helping the team reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in memorable style, the early weeks of his Juventus career have not gone completely to plan. The youngster has made a number of costly errors as he looks to adapt to Italian football.

Given time, you sense he will be able to thrive in the Bianconeri shirt. Sarri will hope the rest this week will do De Ligt good, and he can continue his resurgence against the Rossoneri.

Juventus regained top spot in Serie A when they beat Torino 1-0 in the Derby della Mole at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on Saturday.

Matthijs de Ligt grabbed the decisive goal in the 70th minute.

The Bianconeri remain unbeaten with nine wins from their first 11 Serie A matches, while the defeat keeps Torino, who are without a win since September, in 13th place.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between for both sides in the first half.

It took almost 20 minutes for Juve to have an attempt on goal, but Cristiano Ronaldo failed to hit the target with his header.

The Bianconeri finally got a shot on target when Paulo Dybala forced a strong save from Salvatore Sirigu, while Soualiho Meite came close for the hosts at the other end but fired just over.

Sirigu kept the score level late in the half when he denied Leonardo Bonucci and De Ligt shortly after: 

🖐 A strong hand from Sirigu just before the break to deny De Ligt!

⚽ 0-0 at half time in the Turin Derby pic.twitter.com/F7wml1gPkI

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) November 2, 2019

Bleacher Report's Gianni Verschueren gave his take on the match at the break:

https://twitter.com/ReverschPass/status/1190730422554107904

Sirigu beat away another shot from Ronaldo after the break and a fine volley from substitute Gonzalo Higuain as Juve sought to get in front.

The visitors finally got the breakthrough when Higuain put the ball back in the centre from a corner:

⚽ Matthijs De Ligt scores his first goal for Juve and what a time to get it!

⚫⚪ The Bianconeri lead Torino 1-0 in the Turin Derby! pic.twitter.com/JsM2wSe5sG

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) November 2, 2019

Torino came close to equalising soon after, but Wojciech Szczesny was equal to Cristian Ansaldi's effort after the midfielder had embarked on an impressive run.

Sirigu was alert to smother a loose ball to deny Aaron Ramsey.

At the other end, Gleison Bremer had a late equaliser ruled out for offside as Juve held on to secure the victory.

                     

What's Next

Juve face Lokomotiv Moscow in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday before a home clash with AC Milan next Sunday. The day before, Torino travel to Brescia.

                    

Cristiano Ronaldo's mother believes her son would have won more individual awards in his career if it wasn't for a "football mafia."

The Juventus and Portugal star has long been regarded as one of the best players in the world, having won the coveted Ballon d'Or prize on five occasions.

However, Ronaldo's mother—Dolores Aveiro—told the Portuguese media she thinks the 34-year-old should have received more recognition during his career, per Goal:

"There is a mafia. That's the right word to define it. Yes, there is a mafia in football. If there wasn’t a football mafia, my son would have more [individual] international trophies. If you see everything that happened, you will realise that it is the mafia.

"If he was Spanish or English they would not do what they did to him. But since he's Portuguese and from Madeira...well, this happens."

Aveiro has mentioned a "mafia" previously when it comes to Ronaldo. As noted in the report, when Luka Modric beat Ronaldo to the Ballon d'Or in 2018, she responded with an Instagram post saying, "unfortunately this is the world we live in, rotten, with mafia and f--king money."

Ronaldo was in the three-man shortlist for FIFA's recent Best Men's Player award, although he finished third behind winner Lionel Messi and runner-up Virgil van Dijk.

The Juventus star has been shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or again this year by France Football.

Per Premier Sports, Ronaldo has an extraordinary record when it comes to being nominated for the prize: 

👏👏

Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or for the 16th consecutive time

Incredible 🔥#BallonDor pic.twitter.com/e20Ziw5O6F

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) October 21, 2019

However, Bleacher Report's Dean Jones said he doesn't believe Ronaldo should be winning the accolade this year: 

Ballon d'Or odds on Ronaldo chopped today and further murmurs suggest he really could be in the conversation to challenge for it. Surely not! Van Dijk remains favourite

— Dean Jones (@DeanJonesSoccer) October 28, 2019

Unfortunately for Ronaldo, his career has run alongside that of Messi, who many consider to be the greatest footballer of all time.

Given what Messi has been able to accomplish at Barcelona, it's testament to Ronaldo that he's sampled so much individual success himself. For long spells of their careers, the duo have been out on their own as the two best players in the world, seemingly spurring one another on during the Portuguese's nine-year stint in La Liga.

There has also been more competition for these top prizes in recent seasons. Modric was a worthy winner a year ago following a stunning year with Real Madrid and Croatia, while few would argue with Van Dijk picking up the prize in 2019, as he has been inspirational in defence for Liverpool.

Ronaldo is likely to fall short again this year, but if he can lead Juventus to UEFA Champions League glory in the coming months and help Portugal defend their European Championship next summer, there's no doubt he'll be in contention in 2020.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a 96th-minute penalty to send Juventus back to the top of the standings in Serie A after a 2-1 win over nine-man Genoa at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday night.

Ronaldo was fouled by Antonio Sanabria in stoppage time and made no mistake from the spot, only moments after having an apparent winner ruled out by VAR.

Leonardo Bonucci headed the Bianconeri into a 36th-minute lead before Christian Kouame answered with a header for the visitors four minutes later.

Genoa almost escaped with a draw, despite seeing Francesco Cassata sent off for a second yellow card after a foul on Paulo Dybala six minutes after the restart. Federico Marchetti joined him, before Adrien Rabiot was booked twice for fouls on Kevin Agudelo and Sinan Gumus.

The result means Juve are a point clear of Inter Milan in top spot.

Juve struggled to establish any fluency early on in a scrappy game. The best of the early chances fell to Ronaldo, but he couldn't make the most of his shot after being played in by Federico Bernardeschi.

Ronaldo hadn't found his range yet, but strike partner Paulo Dybala was exploiting spaces between the midfield and forward lines. The Argentinian combined well with the pace of Cuadrado and the industry of Blaise Matuidi.

Yet for all of Dybala's guile, it took a more direct route for Juve to find goal. It came when Rodrigo Bentancur's corner found the head of Bonucci.

Juventus appeared in firm control, but Genoa were still finding joy thanks to the speed of winger Lasse Schone and Goran Pandev's intelligent movement. Schone helped win a corner Agudelo swung in for Kouame to convert.

The Ivory Coast international hardly finished cleanly and was willing to admit luck had been on his side:

Kouame: “I wanted to cut across it. Luckily it hit my left leg and went in. I’m happy with it.” Too nice to brazen it out and say he meant it. I love him https://t.co/wKShUGSlpI

— James Horncastle OMRI (@JamesHorncastle) October 30, 2019

The state of play became even more fractious during the second half. Juve boss Maurizio Sarri tried to introduce more quality by brining former Arsenal schemer Aaron Ramsey off the bench for Matuidi.

Sarri also swapped workhorse Sami Khedira for Rabiot, but the pace of Juve's passing remained pedestrian. By contrast, challenges were flying in and Cassata walked after bringing down Dybala, with Marchetti following six minutes later.

Rather than forcing the issue, the Bianconeri still laboured, even after Douglas Costa came on for Bernardeschi. Frustration boiled over when Rabiot got stuck in once too often.

Ronaldo still looked to have made the difference after being played in by the lively Cuadrado, but VAR appeared to have rescued Genoa. Sadly for the visitors, there was still time for Sanabria to deck the prolific No. 7 and give Ronaldo another chance he didn't waste.

🚨 JUVE WIN IT FROM THE PENALTY SPOT IN STOPPAGE TIME!

⭐ Ronaldo wins a penalty, and converts the winner, just moments after having a goal ruled out offside by VAR

⬆ The Bianconeri jump above Inter into top spot once again pic.twitter.com/5AXF0EjJ0c

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) October 30, 2019

Coincidentally, Ronaldo's last winner from the penalty spot in injury time had come at Juve's expense during a controversial UEFA Champions League tie that prompted Gianluigi Buffon's infamous tirade toward referee Michael Oliver.

90 - Before today, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his last goal after the 90th minute for a club in Real Madrid-Juventus (April 2018, from penalty kick). Ice. #JuveGenoa

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) October 30, 2019

Juventus and Ronaldo need to play better, but the experience and ability to hold their collective nerve in the clutch should still give this group the edge in the title race.

   

What's Next?

Juve are away to Torino in the Turin derby on Saturday, while Genoa host Udinese on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo has said learning from Manchester United icons like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs was key to his development into one of the best players in the world. 

The Juventus star is one of the standout goalscorers of his generation, excelling during his spell with the Red Devils and then in a nine-year stint with Real Madrid. After moving to Juventus in the summer of 2018, he won Serie A in his first campaign with the club.

Speaking with France Football (h/t Robin Bairner of Goal), Ronaldo was asked about how he developed with United:

"By using my brain. If you've got a little intelligence, you look and take example from those who are doing things better than you. 

"That's what I did when I was in Manchester with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rio Ferdinand…if you don't learn from guys like that, you're an imbecile. The goal isn't to imitate but to take aspects from those who are the best and adapt it to your own personality. That's what I did. I had some talent and I watched them."

Ronaldo added that it was manager Sir Alex Ferguson who helped convince him he could be a goalscoring threat as well as a wide player. "I started to think of being a complete player without any weakness," he said. "I could score with my right foot, my left foot and my head."

The 34-year-old recently reached a landmark of 700 career goals. These numbers from Squawka Football show he can be dangerous in any situation on the field:

Cristiano Ronaldo's 700 goals scored by body part:

• 442 Right-Foot (63.14%)
• 129 Left-Foot (18.43%)
• 127 Headed (18.14%)
• 2 Other (0.29%)

Ability to score with whatever body part. pic.twitter.com/eV69hSRrD6

— Squawka (@Squawka) October 15, 2019

Recently, Tifo Football examined how Ferguson was able to get the best out of Ronaldo during the team's UEFA Champions League success in 2008:

Ferguson praised his former player recently after picking up yet another individual award:

Sir Alex Ferguson sent this message to Cristiano Ronaldo after he won Portuguese Player of The Year 🙌 pic.twitter.com/43mULXVday

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 4, 2019

At Old Trafford, Ronaldo evolved from a flashy winger into a dominant forward, who was able to change games with his brilliance.

At a young age, having role models like those mentioned would have been a huge help.

The manner in which the likes of Giggs and Scholes continued playing well into their 30s will no doubt serve as inspiration to Ronaldo at the moment too, as the Portuguese continues to creep towards the twilight of his career.

Per Spanish football writer Colin Millar, Ronaldo has been able to remain potent despite his advancing years:

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 36 international goals in 32 Portugal caps since turning 30. Yikes.

— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) September 10, 2019

At Juventus, there doesn't appear to be any sign of the forward slowing down either and has already notched five goals in 10 outings this season.

While the incredible role models he has played with will have helped Ronaldo, it's a testament to his talent that he remains at the top of the game.