Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos brought up a century of goals on Tuesday, as he demonstrated once more his reputation as one of the deadliest defenders in football history in front of goal.
Real went into their Champions League group stage clash with Inter in dire need of victory, having started their campaign with defeat at home to Shakhtar Donetsk before clawing a late 2-2 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach.
After a positive start from the hosts they scored twice in quick succession to put Antonio Conte's charges up against the ropes. Karim Benzema opened the scoring after 25 minutes, while eight minutes later Ramos struck with a trademark towering header from a corner to double the advantage.
In doing so, the centre-back reached a figure in Madrid colours beyond the wildest dreams of most players in his position.
Ramos, 34, has now scored 100 competitive goals for his club, a figure he reached in 659 appearances to mark a more than respectable strike-rate of a goal just over every six games.
Goal number 💯 for Sergio Ramos.
— Goal (@goal) November 3, 2020
He's a centre-back 😳 pic.twitter.com/00U1IIhO60
100 - Sergio Ramos has scored his 100th goal for @realmadriden in all competitions, 55 of which have come with his head. Courage. pic.twitter.com/tTYWmHbtIx
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 3, 2020
Those goals include strikes in two Champions League finals, both against Atletico Madrid, which proved crucial in delivering the trophy to the Blancos, as well as countless crucial efforts across his glittering career.
When including the goals he netted prior to his move from Sevilla and for the Spain national team, the veteran's tally ascends to 128, placing him among the highest-scoring defensive players in the game's history.
Ronald Koeman leads the all-time list having struck 253 goals for the likes of PSV, Barcelona and the Netherlands national team, aided by his undisputed status as the designated free-kick and penalty taker at those sides.
Behind the current Barca boss follow the likes of Argentine World Cup winner Daniel Passarella, Ramos' fellow Madrid legend Fernando Hierro and France idol Laurent Blanc - as well as the rather less heralded Graham Alexander.
The now-retired penalty expert, who represented Burnley, Scunthorpe, Luton and Preston North End as well as Scotland, currently sits in fifth in the rankings with 130, just two clear of Ramos.
However, given his role as Madrid's spot-kick taker following the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo and his natural eye for goal, it should not be long until the Spain ace overtakes Alexander and continues his rise up into the top five.
