Ronaldo surpasses 500 career goals, equals Raul's Real record

Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed 500 career goals and tied Raul as Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer with a double in the Spanish giants 2-0 win away at Malmo on Wednesday.

"I am very happy. I thank all my teammates that have helped me achieve these figures and to beat the record at the biggest club in the world is an honour," said Ronaldo.

The 30-year-old netted his 500th and 501st goals to propel Madrid to victory against the Swedish champions in the Group A clash, also extending his record Champions League tally to 82.

Additionally, the Portuguese star pulled level with Raul on 323 goals for Madrid despite playing over 400 games fewer for Los Blancos than the Spanish legend.

However, according to club records Ronaldo is already Madrid's top
scorer of all-time as they add a goal officially awarded by the Spanish league to Pepe in a 2-1 defeat of Real Sociedad in 2010.

"He has surpassed Raul, who was a phenomenon and that shows that he has scored a lot of goals," added Madrid coach Rafael Benitez.

"Hopefully, he has no limits. I said he was unquestionable in the past and his merit is what he has done in far less time than the rest. That adds more value to what he has achieved."

The double also moved Ronaldo ahead of Raul as the top goalscorer for the 10-time European champions in the Champions League with 67.

Ronaldo reached the 500-goal landmark in his 753rd game with 118 goals coming during his time at Manchester United, five while at boyhood club Sporting Lisbon and 55 for Portugal.

Goal difference

With six points from their opening two games, Rafael Benitez's side lead Group A on goal difference from their next opponents Paris Saint-Germain, while Malmo, despite two losses, are third having conceded fewer goals than Shakhtar Donetsk.

The dismissal of Malmo's Peru international Yoshimar Yotun in the 78th minute after picking up his second yellow card effectively ended the game as a contest.

Malmo full back Anton Tinnerholm had kept Ronaldo quiet for much of the opening half hour, but when his side lost the ball on one of their rare forays forward, there was little he or his team mates could do to stop the Portuguese winger.

Croatian playmaker Mateo Kovacic collected the loose ball and played a raking pass to Isco, who slipped it to Ronaldo. Finding himself in acres of space, he calmly picked his spot and fired past Johan Wiland.

Dani Carvajal struck the woodwork shortly before halftime with a dipping shot and Ronaldo almost added a second five minutes from time only to be thwarted by a superb reflex save from Wiland.

But Ronaldo did score again to equal Raul's record in the final minute after he was set up for a simple finish by substitute Lucas Vazquez.

Madrid dominated possession but Tinnerholm, Markus Rosenberg and Jo-Inge Berget all managed to test Keylor Navas, and Malmo captain Rosenberg flashed a second-half header just wide with the goal at his mercy.

Derby

Ronaldo can now shift his focus to setting a new record in Sunday's La Liga derby against Atletico Madrid. 

"I am so happy and proud to beat the record for Real Madrid, it's fantastic," Ronaldo told broadcaster Viasat.

"The most important thing is to win. Six points, we are top of the group."

"It says something about how good he is," said Malmo defender Anton Tinnerholm, who had most of the responsibility for marking Ronaldo.

"Even when he has a bad day, he can still decide games."

Coach Rafael Benitez did not want to be drawn into the debate about who is the greatest goalscorer in Madrid's history, but Ronaldo's speed in catching Raul's mark leaves little doubt.

"That's a question for others to answer, but I'm very happy that the team won, that we kept a clean sheet, that we took three points, that Ronaldo scored two goals and (equalled) a record," he told a news conference.

"We have seen many great goalscorers in history but he managed to do it in less games."

It has taken the Portuguese phenomenon just 308 games to rival Raul's haul of 323 strikes, a jaw-dropping ratio of goals per game.

It could have been more when the Malmo defence, reduced to 10
men after the sending off of Yoshimar Yotun, tired.

But Malmo goalkeeper Johan Wiland stood firm, prompting Ronaldo to have a word with him after the final whistle.

"He came up to me after the game and asked 'why did you keep saving my shots?' He wanted to score a hat-trick," Wiland told reporters.

"In reply, I asked him why he kept scoring goals against me. Then we laughed and hugged."

Wiland is not the first goalkeeper to have asked Ronaldo that question, and he most likely won't be the last.

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