Interesting Fact: Ronaldo Scores 76th Champions League Goal and Sets Record
The Portuguese Real Madrid forward scored against Juventus in the semi-final and became the tournament's all-time top scorer.
Main Event
On June 3, 2017, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Cristiano Ronaldo officially became the all-time top scorer in UEFA Champions League history. The Portuguese forward for Real Madrid scored a brace in the final against Juventus, bringing his tally in Europe's premier club competition to a mark that made him the sole leader among the greatest marksmen.
The match ended in a resounding 4-1 victory for Real Madrid, making Los Blancos the first club in the modern Champions League era to successfully defend the title and win the trophy two years in a row.
Details and Statistics
The final in Cardiff drew 65,842 spectators. Besides Ronaldo's brace, goals for the winners came from Brazilian defensive midfielder Casemiro and Spanish winger Marco Asensio, who came off the bench.
Match statistics showed the Spanish giants' overwhelming dominance. Real Madrid had 18 shots on goal compared to Juventus's 9, and their passing accuracy approached 90%. Possession stood at 56% in favor of Zinedine Zidane's side.
For Ronaldo, this brace was the culmination of an outstanding season. He finished the 2016/17 Champions League campaign with 12 goals, becoming the tournament's top scorer for the fifth consecutive time. Second place in the scoring race went to Barcelona's Lionel Messi with 11 goals. Notably, the Portuguese overtook his eternal rival right at the finish, as Messi had no chance to add to his tally after Barcelona's quarterfinal exit.
The final also featured several other landmark achievements:
- The opening goal in the 20th minute was Real Madrid's 500th in the competition's history;
- Ronaldo's second goal, scored in the 64th minute from Luka Modric's cross, was his 600th career goal at club and international level;
- Cristiano became the first player in history to score in three different Champions League finals (2008, 2014, 2017).
Juventus's only goal was scored by Mario Mandžukić in the 27th minute, leveling the score with a stunning overhead kick after a layoff from Alex Sandro. The Turin side also finished the match with ten men after Juan Cuadrado was sent off in the 84th minute.
Context and Significance
The context of this event extends far beyond a single final, as it touches on the historic rivalry between the two greatest players of the era.
For a long time, the scoring record in Europe's top club competition belonged to Real Madrid legend Raúl González, who surpassed Alfredo Di Stéfano's achievement in 2005 and stopped at 71 goals. In November 2014, that milestone fell to Lionel Messi. Then began an unprecedented scoring duel: Ronaldo and Messi alternately seized the top scorer title until September 2015, when the Portuguese's hat-trick against Shakhtar Donetsk put him in first place with 80 goals. From that point on, he never relinquished the lead.
As of the 2017 final, Ronaldo's advantage over Messi in the all-time scoring list stood at 105 to 94 goals. As of April 2026—nearly nine years later—the balance at the top of the table remains unchanged, and the Portuguese's lead has grown even more impressive thanks to his performances for Juventus in subsequent years.
After his retirement, Ronaldo jokingly suggested renaming the tournament the "CR7 Champions League," alluding to his five tournament wins and numerous scoring records.
What's Next / Upcoming Match Preview
Since the described event is a historical fact from 2017, there is no direct sporting "sequel." However, the significance of Ronaldo's achievement can be fully appreciated through the lens of current data as of 2026.
As of April 2026, Cristiano Ronaldo still firmly holds the title of the greatest scorer in UEFA Champions League history. His career tally in the tournament stands at 140 goals in 183 matches.
The closest pursuer remains Lionel Messi with 129 goals. Third place, with a significant gap, belongs to Barcelona's Polish forward Robert Lewandowski, who on November 26, 2024, became the third and so far last player to reach the 100-goal mark in Champions League history.
Among active players, Kylian Mbappé retains theoretical chances of approaching Ronaldo's record, with 69 goals and at least a decade of career ahead, as well as Erling Haaland, who has scored 57 goals in just 58 appearances.
— Editorial Team
