Sunday 30 March 2008

Goals, abundance of

Yesterday's backheel was Cristiano Ronaldo's twenty sixth goal of the league season. With six matches left, it is already at the very least the sixth highest tally in the 38 match season era.

The other players to have scored over twenty five in the 38 game Premier League:

1995/6 Alan Shearer 31, Robbie Fowler 28
1999/00 Kevin Phillips 30
2003/04 Thierry Henry 30
2005/06 Thierry Henry 27

Even twenty five goals has only ever been done four times since 1995/6: Les Ferdinand in 95/6, Shearer in 96/7, Ruud van Nistelrooy in 02/03 and Henry in 04/05.

We hear and read so many words about Ronaldo's excellence that sometimes I think it's best to put numbers in focus instead. I'm not desperately enthused by the prospect of United winning the league, but I do genuinely hope Ronaldo scores six in the last six games to break Shearer's record, and not only because it might dilute Shearer's smugness somewhat. Excellence is worth applauding even in a red shirt.

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