Real Madrid's failure to win major silverware last season and reports of division in the dressing room had prompted speculation that Ronaldo, whose contract runs until June 2015, might be seeking a move away from the Spanish capital.[294][295][296] On 8 June, Ronaldo moved to quell the speculation over his future by insisting that he would reach a deal to renew his contract with Real Madrid.[297] On 3 July, Ronaldo admitted that he was missing the English Premier League, but ruled out an imminent move back to Old Trafford.[298]
On 18 August, Ronaldo made his 200th competitive appearance for Real Madrid in a 2–1 home win over Real Betis.[299] Ronaldo had not scored during the first two league games, but against Athletic Bilbao on 1 September 2013, he scored his first of the season in a 3–1 home victory.[300]
After months of speculation surrounding his future,[301] Ronaldo signed a new contract with Real Madrid on 15 September that would keep him at the club until 2018, with a salary of €17 million (after taxes), making him the highest paid player in football.[302][303]
On 17 September, Ronaldo scored the second Champions League hat-trick of his career in Real Madrid's opening group match of the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League, a 6–1 away win against Galatasaray.[304] On 22 September, Ronaldo scored twice in a 4–1 home victory against Getafe CF, with his second goal coming from a backheel which made him the fifth highest scorer in the club's history with 208 goals.[305] In his 100th game in the European competitions against Copenhagen on 2 October, Ronaldo scored a brace as Real Madrid went on to a 4–0 home victory.[306] On 5 October 2013, Ronaldo scored a 94th-minute winner against Levante.[307] On 23 October, Ronaldo scored twice in a 2–1 home victory against Juventus to become the Champions League's third all-time highest goalscorer with 57 goals.[308] On 30 October, Ronaldo scored his 18th La Liga hat-trick in a 7–3 home win against Sevilla.[309]
In a debate at Oxford Union in October, when asked whether FIFA president Sepp Blatter preferred Messi or Ronaldo, Blatter paid tribute to the work ethic of the Argentine before taking a swipe at Ronaldo, claiming "one of them has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other". Real Madrid demanded – and promptly received – a full apology, and the Portuguese issued his own riposte with a mock-salute celebration after scoring a penalty against Sevilla, after Blatter had described him as a "commander" on the pitch.[310]
In his 106 away appearances for Real Madrid on 2 November, Ronaldo scored his 100th away goal as he hit a brace in a 3–2 away victory against Rayo Vallecano, averaging 0.94 per game.[311] On 5 November 2013, Ronaldo broke the record held for Champions League goals scored in a calendar year with 14 goals, after he equalised for Real Madrid in a 2–2 draw at Juventus. On 9 November 2013, Ronaldo scored his 19th La Liga hat-trick (one from open play, a penalty and a direct free kick) in a 5–1 home victory against Real Sociedad, which made him second in the all time League hat-trick list. The direct free kick was his 20th direct free kick goal for Real Madrid, one more than free kick specialist Ronaldinho scored with Barcelona.[312]
After his strong form in the 2013–14 campaign by which he had scored 32 goals from 22 matches played for both club and country by the middle of November, including five hat-tricks, Ronaldo suggested that he could be in the "best form of his life".[313] On 23 November 2013, Ronaldo was replaced by Jesé in the 52nd minute against Almería after suffering a muscle strain, which would keep him out for one to two weeks.[314] Ronaldo made his return in a 2–0 away victory against Copenhagen in the Champions League on 10 December and went on to break the record for most goals scored in the Champions League group stages with 9 goals.[315] His final match of the calendar year saw him score a header in a 3–2 away win against Valencia, ending the year with a tally of 69 goals in 59 appearance, his highest year-end goal tally.[316][317]With the goal, he became the club's fourth top scorer in the league with 164 league goals, equalling the tally gained byHugo Sánchez. He also become the second top scorer in matches played away from home with 72 goals, 15 behind the record holder Raúl with 87.[318]
Ronaldo is a unique player for all of his talent and his professionalism. He is a player who is extraordinarily consistent.
“
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—Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.[319]
In Real Madrid's first match following the 2013–14 winter break, Ronaldo score a brace in a 3–0 home victory against Celta Vigo, including his 400th professional career goal in 653 games for club and country. He dedicated his two goals to Eusébio, who had died two days before.[4] On 13 January 2014, Ronaldo won the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or, beating Lionel Messi, who had won the prize the previous four years, and Franck Ribéry.[320] This was his second Ballon d'Or overall, becoming the 10th multiple winner of the football's top individual prize. He also became the third player to win the award after playing at least a full calendar year at Real Madrid.[321] Ronaldo had been runner-up on another four occasions: 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012.[322] A tearful Ronaldo described receiving the accolade as "no words to describe this moment" and "it's hard to win this award".[323] The achievement fuelled media to recognise Ronaldo as one of the greatest players in football history,[324][325][326] with Pelé stating that Ronaldo must continue to maintain his exceptional high standards.[327]
On 18 January 2014, Ronaldo netted a long-range finish from 30 yards in a 5–0 away win over Real Betis.[328] On 11 February 2014, in the Spanish Cup's semifinals second leg, Ronaldo scored a brace in a 2–0 away win against Atlético Madrid to surpass Luis Aragonés as the top scorer in the history of 'Copa' games between Real and Atlético with 5 goals.[329] His seventh-minute penalty meant Ronaldo had scored in every single minute of a 90-minute football match.[330]With a brace against Schalke 04 in a 6–1 victory on 26 February 2014, Ronaldo become the first player to score 10 or more goals in 3 consecutive Champions League campaigns.[331]
On 15 March 2014, after he scored the only goal of the match against Málaga, Ronaldo become the first player to score 25 goals in five consecutive league seasons.[332] On 18 March 2014, Ronaldo scored two goals against Schalke 04 in the second leg of the Champions League's round-of–16, allowing him to surpass his personal record of 12 goals in a single UEFA Champions League season, putting him just one behind Lionel Messi's record of 14 goals from the 2011–12 season. On 29 March 2014, with a goal against Rayo Vallecano, Ronaldo equalled Lionel Messi's record of scoring in 10 consecutive games.[333]
In Ronaldo's 100th Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund on 2 April 2014,[334] he scored his record-equalling 14th Champions League goal of the season in a 3–0 home victory, which also tied him with Alfredo Di Stéfano as Real Madrid's joint second top scorer in European competition with 49 goals, behind only Raúl with 66 goals.[335] With the goal, Ronaldo also became the first player to score in 8 consecutive Champions League matches.[336] Ronaldo was substituted with 10 minutes to play due to a thigh injury, and missed four matches, including Real Madrid's Copa del Rey final victory against Barcelona at Mestalla Stadium.[337]
Ronaldo made his return on 23 April 2014 in the Champions League semi-final first leg win over Bayern Munich.[338] He scored a brace in the next match against Osasuna, his 100th and 101st league goals at theSantiago Bernabéu.[339] On 29 April 2014, with his two goals against Bayern Munich in a 4–0 away win at the Allianz Arenafor the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, Ronaldo set a new record by becoming the first player to score 16 goals in a single Champions League/European Cup season.[340]
On 4 May 2014, Ronaldo scored a last-minute backheeled volley in the 2–2 home draw with Valencia, to bring his goals total to 50 for the fourth consecutive season.[341] For this goal, Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the first player to win the LFP Best Goal, in 2014, an honour handed by LFP to the best goal of the season.[342] In the Champions League finalagainst cross-town rival Atlético Madrid, he became the first player in history to score in two European Cup finals for two different winning teams, as Los Blancos won their tenth European Cup.[343] Ronaldo was the competition's top goalscorerfor the second consecutive season and third overall, with a record 17 goals in a single season as well as a total of 67 goals.[344] In a 2014 UEFA poll, he was named the greatest goalscorer to play in the UEFA Champions League.[345]
Ronaldo finished the season with 31 goals in 30 league games, winning the Pichichi as the top goalscorer in Spain, and shared the European Golden Shoe with Liverpool striker Luis Suárez.[346]
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