Ronaldo equals Raul’s Real record

Ronaldo, 30, has fond memories of playing in Sweden having scored a famous hat-trick in a 2014 Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup qualification play-off for Portugal in 2013 and will now set his sights on breaking the record outright next time out against Atletico Madrid.

After thanking the club, coaches and his teammates, Ronaldo said he “never imagined that one day I would become the club’s greatest scorer”.

Ronaldo’s most prolific season was the 2011-12 campaign – when he scored 69 goals for club and country – and he has beaten the 60-mark in each of his last two seasons.

The double strike also moved the 30-year-old Portuguese footballer ahead of Raul as the top goalscorer for the 10-time European champions in the Champions League with 67.

It was not one of his more brilliant nights but Cristiano Ronaldo managed to shake off the Malmo defence to score twice and edge closer to becoming Real Madrid’s greatest goal-poacher on Wednesday.

Ronaldo said Raul had sent him a message of congratulations. Ronaldo wasn’t that visible but he still scored two goals.

But if Raul was watching the match hoping Ronaldo would wait until the next La Liga fixture to tie his record, he’d be sorely disappointed. I want to win and feel good here.

After Tuesday night’s match Ronaldo snapped at a reporter who asked him about inflammatory comments made by Barcelona’s Gerard Pique earlier this year. You’re intelligent – you must be to have this job. I do not speak more often because the questions are not good ones. “I know I’ve been a bit of sh** with them”. I am happy here, but you never know what will happen in the future. “He is already a myth and a legend of Real Madrid”.

“You want to put me in a mess with what Pique has done, why does that matter to me?”