In the calendar year 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 69 goals for Real Madrid and Portugal, beating his previous best of 63 in 2012. A superb hat-trick in the FIFA World Cup play-off qualifier against Sweden in November, which secured a place in this year’s finals for Portugal, was the climax of a remarkable 12 months for Ronaldo.
He has now scored 47 goals for Portugal, equalling Pauleta’s record. In April, he became the first player in Real Madrid history to score more than 30 goals for three straight seasons. He won the Ballon d’Or as FIFA Player of the Year for 2013, beating the other short-listed players Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery.
