Cristiano Ronaldo is aiming to become the first player to score more than 14 goals in a single Champions League campaign

The brace he hit against Galatasaray in Istanbul on Tuesday takes his tally in this season’s tournament to 11, making him the 2012-13 Champions League’s top scorer.

His overall tally in the competition stands at 50 (in 96 appearances, that’s an average of 0.52 goals per game) and he has now overtaken Alfredo Di Stéfano, who scored 49 goals in the competition but in just 58 outings (an average strike rate of 0.84 goals per game).

Ronaldo is now the sixth top goal-scorer of all-time in the history of the Champions League.

While Real Madrid aim to collect their elusive 10th European crown, Ronaldo is chasing other feats – including the record of 14 goals scored in one Champions League season, which is jointly held by José Altafini (with AC Milan in 1962-63), Ruud Van Nistelrooy (with Manchester United in 2002-03) and Lionel Messi (2011-12).

Brazilian forward Altafini achieved the feat in just nine games at a time when only the champions of each country took part and there was no group stage in the tournament.

Van Nistelrooy and Messi took 11 matches to score 14 goals, while Ronaldo is three goals away from matching them, having played a game less. Should Madrid reach the final, he will have three more games to equal or break the record.

The 2012-13 Champions League has been Ronaldo’s most productive – he has already bettered his total of 10 goals from last season’s edition to overtake the club record which he shared with Raúl González.

In total, he has scored 194 goals in 191 appearances with Real Madrid, to set an incredible average of more than a goal per game – unprecedented in club history.