Cristiano Ronaldo is eyeing more records as Juventus head for Udinese on Thursday with a ninth consecutive Serie A title within their grasp.
Ronaldo scored a
double on Monday against Lazio to bring his tally to 51 Serie A goals since
arriving in Turin in July 2018.
The 35-year-old not
only became the first player to achieve a half century of goals in Italy, Spain
and England, but was also the fastest, doing so in 61 league games.
Last year the
five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored 21 goals in his first season in Italy, but
thanks to his brace against Lazio he brought his tally to 30 this term, with
four games remaining.
Another goal would
see him match former Italy World Cup winner Felice Borel, who was the last
player to score 31 goals for Juventus in the 1933-34 season.
For Ronaldo the
title of top scorer – ‘Capocannoniere’ – is up for grabs, as he is currently
level on 30 with Lazio’s Ciro Immobile.
And he could even
overtake Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, the top scorer in Europe with 34
goals in the Bundesliga this season.
There is also the
record of Argentine teammate Gonzalo Higuain, who was Serie A top scorer under
Sarri at Napoli in the 2015–16 season with 36 goals.
“Cristiano is
unpredictable,” said Sarri. “If he puts his mind to something, he’s very
determined.
“Not only
physically, but, above all, mentally: he is a champion with his feet, but also
with his head.”
‘Give your all’
“Very important
victory! We’re almost there guys! Let’s go,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram after
the Lazio game.
Juventus can seal
the title with a win over 16th-placed Udinese, but it depends on
Inter Milan, who are eight points behind the champions, losing to Fiorentina at
the San Siro on Wednesday.
Otherwise they
could win their 36th Scudetto on Sunday, at home against Sampdoria,
giving Sarri, 61, his first league title.
It would allow them
to start preparing for the Champions League, and overturning a 1-0 first-leg
deficit against French club Lyon in the last 16 next month.
“Juventus are still
the best side in the league,” said Inter boss Antonio Conte, who coached the
Turin side to the first three titles in their current run of league triumphs.
“They’re set
to win their ninth Scudetto in a row. We can learn from them.
“We’ve got to keep
trying to improve, to be more involved in the title race, so we can eventually
get our hands on the Scudetto.”
Inter, who have not won the title since their historic treble in 2010 under Jose Mourinho, are however assured of a Champions League place next season.
“It’s great that we’ve
achieved this goal,” continued Conte, “it was one of the club’s main requests,
to improve our results compared to previous seasons and to steady the
ship so that things aren’t so hectic at the end of the season.”
Against Franck
Ribery’s Fiorentina they were held 1-1 earlier this season, with the 12th-placed
Tuscany side coming off back-to-back wins.
“They’ve got a good
squad of players, they’re a good team and Giuseppe Iachini is doing a great job
as coach,” added Conte.
“They’ll be unfazed
by us, but when you’re up against Inter you always have the motivation to
give your all.”
Lazio, in fourth, play at Cagliari after their league hopes were dashed at Juventus on Monday. They too are also poised to return to the Champions League after 13 years, as they are 11 points clear of fifth-placed Roma.