Cristiano Ronaldo named Serie A’s Player of the Year | Football News – Times of India

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Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo was named Serie A‘s Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season at the Gran Gala del Calcio on Friday.
Ronaldo won award, which is voted by the Italian Footballers’ Association, after helping Juventus to a ninth successive Serie A title last season
“It was a strange year, a year that no one would have wanted, but on a personal and team level, it was positive, because we won the championship,” Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia.
“At the beginning, it was difficult to play in empty stadiums, but our goal was to win the championship and we did it. We missed the Champions League but that’s how football is.”
The Portuguese striker’s sensational strike against Sampdoria in December 2019 was also voted Goal of the Season.
“It was my best goal, I’m very sure of it,” Ronaldo added. “I want to thank my team mates, because without them it wouldn’t have been possible to receive this prize.
“Thanks to the players who voted for me, I feel very lucky. I think the trust, the endurance and passion are the secret to continuing to enjoy football.
“I feel motivated and this must be the case, as otherwise it’s not possible to play at this level when you are 35, 36, 37 or 40.”
Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini won the Coach of the Year crown.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic back in Sweden squad | Football News – Times of India

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STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s record goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been named in coach Janne Andersson‘s squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Kosovo, five years after the striker retired from the national team.
Ibrahimovic, 39, scored 62 goals in 116 internationals before quitting the team following their exit at the group stage of Euro 2016.
He opened the door to a return in a newspaper interview in November 2020, and coach Andersson flew to meet him in Milan to pave the way for his comeback, which was announced on Tuesday.
Ibrahimovic has scored 14 goals in 14 Serie A appearances for AC Milan so far this season.

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Pele congratulates hat-trick hero Ronaldo for breaking his record | Football News – Times of India

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MILAN: Pele on Sunday congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo for ‘breaking his record’ of goals scored in official matches.
Portuguese star Ronaldo hit a hat-trick for Juventus in a 3-1 Serie A win over Cagliari to bring his total to 770 goals.

The 36-year-old took to Instagram to tell his 270 million followers he could now claim the record, having matched Pele’s 767 on March 2.
“I’m filled with joy and pride as I acknowledge the goal that puts me on top of the World’s goal scoring list, overcoming Pele’s record, something that I could never have dreamed of while growing up as a child from Madeira,” Ronaldo wrote.

Brazilian great Pele, 80, wrote on Instagram to his 5.8 million followers: “Congratulations on breaking my record of goals in official matches.
“I admire you a lot, I love watching you play and this is no secret to anyone.
“My only regret is not being able to give you a hug today.”
“Cristiano life is a solo flight. Each makes his own journey. And what a beautiful journey you are having!”

Pele — the only player in history to win three World Cups — has claimed to have scored 1,283 goals in total, including in unofficial matches.
Ronaldo’s goals include 668 for club sides — five with Sporting Lisbon, 118 for Manchester United, 450 for Real Madrid and 95 for Juventus. He has also scored 120 for Portugal.
Some media however put Czech Josef Bican on 805 goals, ahead of both Ronaldo and Pele.
Former Brazilian striker Romario also claims to have scored 1,000 career goals including unofficial matches. Other sources attribute 772 to him.

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Ronaldo warns ‘true champions never break’ after European flop | Football News – Times of India

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MILAN: Cristiano Ronaldo warned that “true champions never break” as he turned his focus to Juventus‘s Serie A match at Cagliari on Sunday after their early Champions League elimination.
“True champions never break! Our focus is already in Cagliari, in the Serie A struggle, in the Italian Cup final and in everything that we can still achieve this season,” Ronaldo said on Instagram, the first time he has spoken since Juventus crashed out of the last 16 to Porto.
“More important than the number of falls you take in life, is how fast and how strong you get back on your feet.”
Ronaldo’s future at Juventus is in the spotlight after a third Champions League failure since he was signed for 100 million euros ($117 million) in the summer of 2018 from Real Madrid.

“It’s true that the past belongs in museums (I should say!), but fortunately, football has memory… and so do I,” the 36-year-old continued.
Ronaldo is the record scorer in the competition with 134 goals, and has lifted the trophy five times with Manchester United and Real Madrid.
But the Portuguese forward failed to score in either leg of a knockout round for the first time in 16 years.

He added: “History can’t be deleted, it’s written every single day with resilience, team spirit, persistence and lots of hard work. And those who don’t understand this, will never achieve glory and success.”
Juventus are third in Serie A — 10 points behind leaders Inter Milan — but with a game in hand as they target a 10th consecutive league title.
They are also through to the Italian Cup final.
“Ronaldo is fine, it’s normal that he is disappointed the other night like the whole team,” said coach Andrea Pirlo before Sunday’s game in Sardinia.
“Ronaldo trained well, he recovered to play tomorrow.
“It is normal for there to be rumours after the elimination because he is the most important figure in the world of football together with (Lionel) Messi and always makes people talk about him, but let’s remember that he has always done well, scoring over 90 goals in 100 games.
“It may happen that he doesn’t score in a match and it happens to the others too, but with him it makes more noise.”
Pirlo added: “We trained together and went back to work. We will face a Cagliari team that has recently changed its coach and has immediately achieved excellent results.
“So it will be an important match and it will take great pride and team spirit for us to play a good match.”

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