Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at recent media criticism following a barren run of games, and admitted his delight at moving ahead of Lionel Messi as the Champions League's top goalscorer with a hat-trick against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.
Per Metro, Ronaldo had come in for some criticism recently following eight goalless games for club and country, but the run came to an emphatic end on Saturday as he netted five in La Liga against Espanyol.
After following that up with his record-breaking treble against Shakhtar in a 4-0 win—he now has 80 goals in the Champions League compared to Messi's 77, per StatBunker—Ronaldo bemoaned the fickle nature of the media, according to Spanish outlet Sport: "Before I was bad and now I am good because I scored eight goals in two games."
However, while the 30-year-old was visibly annoyed with the media, it was not enough to dampen his pleasure at moving ahead of Messi in the European goalscoring standings, per UEFA: "I'm not going to lie—obviously, I'm very happy with the goals and the records. I get a sense of pride from being in this position, but I have to mention the team, because the team has helped me so much."
Messi will have the chance to catch Ronaldo again when Barcelona play Roma in their opening Champions League group game of the 2015-16 campaign on Wednesday.
The duo are likely to exchange the record several times in the coming matches and seasons, and with Messi only 28 years old, he may have the edge as to who will be the top scorer in the Champions League come the end of their respective careers.
Ronaldo, though, is effectively unstoppable in terms of Real's club records, and he toppled another one in record time with his five against Espanyol at the weekend, per Bleacher Report UK:
New Los Blancos boss Rafael Benitez is no doubt delighted that his star man has started firing again and Real will look to move ahead of Barca in the La Liga table when they face Granada at the Bernabeu on Saturday—the table-topping Catalans do not play until Sunday.
As noted by Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, with Ronaldo in such form, Real are a blistering force and could be the team to beat across all competitions this season:
For now, though, any doubts about Ronaldo's continued excellence have been put to bed, and Madrid have made an emphatic start in their bid for an 11th European Cup victory this season.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2567533-cristiano-ronaldo-happy-to-pass-lionel-messis-record-irritated-by-fickle-media
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