Ronaldo reaches 52nd knockout goal as Messi follows closely

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 52 goals in the knockout stages of the Champions League when he netted against Atletico Madrid.

The Real Madrid superstar scored a hattrick at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday to give the defending champions a 3-0 advantage over their city rivals.

It is the latest landmark to be reached by the four-time Ballon d’Or winner in Europe’s premier competition, following a five-goal haul over two legs against Bayern Munich in the previous round.

A brace in a 2-1 win at the Allianz Arena took Ronaldo on to 100 goals in European club competitions, while a hat-trick in the return fixture brought up the 32-year-old’s Champions League century.

Ronaldo’s Barcelona rival Lionel Messi has the next best knockout return in the history of the competition with 37 goals. Bayern’s Thomas Muller is third on 19.