Madrid // Cristiano Ronaldo became Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer as his side moved to the top of the Primera Liga thanks to a 3-0 win over Levante on Saturday.
Ronaldo struck his 324th goal for the Spanish giants in just his 310th game with a fine shot from outside the area after he had set up Marcelo to open the scoring for the hosts.
Jese Rodriguez added a third nine minutes from time.
A first victory in three league games moves Madrid two points clear of Villarreal at the top, but champions Barcelona can move level with Real should they beat Rayo Vallecano at home later on Saturday.
Madrid had to name a bench with seven academy graduates due to the absence of Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema through injury and coach Rafael Benitez was happy to secure a comfortable win in the circumstances.
“We had a bit of a handicap and to win 3-0 with some very good phases of the game for me is very positive,” said the former Liverpool manager.
The scale of Ronaldo’s latest record is exemplified by the fact he has played 431 fewer games for Madrid than previous record holder and club legend Raul, who earlier this week announced his decision to retire from football next month after a brief stint with the New York Cosmos.
Diego Forlan: Who is better: Ronaldo or Messi? Just be grateful to be around to watch them
Andy Mitten: Record-breaking Cristiano Ronaldo talks of humility but loves attention
Ronaldo paraded his record fourth golden boot for being the top scorer in Europe last season to an adoring crowd before kick-off.
However, after disappointing performances in draws against Malaga and Atletico Madrid before the international break, the Bernabeu faithful quickly became restless after another slow start from their side.
Levante have now won just one of their opening eight league matches, but had the first opening of the game when Roger forced Keylor Navas into a smart save against his old club at the near post.
Ronaldo was frustrated moments later when the referee waved play on after he appeared to be barged in the back by Simao Mate Junior inside the area.
Gareth Bale was partnering the Portuguese in attack for the first time in over a month, but the Welshman failed to make an impact before being substituted at half-time as he headed over with his best chance from Toni Kroos’s corner.
The opener arrived on 27 minutes when Levante needlessly gifted possession to Madrid inside their own half and a neat one-two between Marcelo and Ronaldo allowed the Real captain in the absence of the injured Sergio Ramos to fire home.
Levante nearly struck back immediately, but Navas’s brilliant start to the season continued as he flew to his left to somehow claw Deyverson’s powerful header to safety.
And within seconds Levante were punished for again giving the ball away as Kroos squared for Ronaldo to thunder home his 11th goal of the season.
Madrid briefly threatened to run riot as Ronaldo should have turned home Bale’s cut-back.
However, after Bale had been replaced by Lucas Vazquez at half-time to keep him fresh for Wednesday’s trip to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, another flat second-half display followed from Benitez’s men.
Navas again had to rescue his side with a smart stop from Nabil Ghilas and Nacho made a remarkable block to prevent Deyverson pulling a goal back.
Madrid’s greater firepower proved the difference once more, though, as substitute Jese rounded off the scoring as he ghosted past Simao and smashed the ball high past the helpless Ruben Martinez.
Real Madrid’s leading scorers.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (2009-present): 324 goals in 310 official matches over seven seasons. Titles with Real: 7
2. Raul Gonzalez (1994-2010): 323 goals in 741 matches over 16 seasons. Titles: 16
3. Alfredo Di Stefano (1953-1964): 308 goals in 396 matches over 11 seasons. Titles: 17
4. Carlos Alonso, known as Santillana (1971-1988): 290 goals in 645 matches over 17 seasons. Titles: 16
5. Ferenc Puskas (1958-1967): 242 goals in 262 matches over nine seasons. Titles: 10
6. Hugo Sanchez (1985-1992): 208 goals in 282 matches over seven seasons. Titles: 10
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @NatSportUAE
SUE GRAY'S FINDINGS
"Whatever the initial intent, what took place at many of these gatherings and the
way in which they developed was not in line with Covid guidance at the time.
"Many of these events should not have been allowed to happen. It is also the case that some of the
more junior civil servants believed that their involvement in some of these events was permitted given the attendance of senior leaders.
"The senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture.
"I found that some staff had witnessed or been subjected to behaviours at work which they had felt concerned about but at times felt unable to raise properly.
"I was made aware of multiple examples of a lack of respect and poor treatment of security and cleaning staff. This was unacceptable."
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Men from Barca's class of 99
Crystal Palace - Frank de Boer
Everton - Ronald Koeman
Manchester City - Pep Guardiola
Manchester United - Jose Mourinho
Southampton - Mauricio Pellegrino
MATCH INFO
Hoffenheim v Liverpool
Uefa Champions League play-off, first leg
Location: Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim
Kick-off: Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
