Gabriel Batistuta jokes with Ronaldo after Juventus star equals Serie A record

Serie A legend Gabriel Batistuta has mocked Cristiano Ronaldo after he equalled his record of scoring in 11 straight games.

The Argentine marksman played for Fiorentina and Roma and was prolific during his time in Italy.

Ronaldo's goalscoring exploits are well documented and his strike against Spal was his 24th of the season, but Batistuta has joked with the Portuguese star after he was rested for Juventus' win over Brescia last week.

He said: "Congratulations to Cristiano for the record! The only thing is that resting seems easier to me."

Ronaldo though returned with authority and ensured the Bianconeri remain top of Serie A. His goalscoring run begun shortly after he was snubbed for the Ballon d'Or.

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The 35-year-old has netted against the likes of Fiorentina, Napoli and Roma and is clearly better off after being rested against Brescia.

Ronaldo will have the chance to beat Batistuta's record against Inter Milan at the Allianz Stadium on March 1.

"We decided to let Ronaldo rest today," said Sarri when asked why Ronaldo was left out. "He cannot play every single game, so we came up with this system for this game."

In Ronaldo's absence Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado stepped up to ensure Juventus bounced back having lost to Verona the week before.

The former Real Madrid man is only three goals shy of his tally for the whole of last season as he continues to adapt to Italian football.

Juventus are targeting their eighth straight Serie A title but face a battle from Lazio and Inter. The former are just a point behind while Inter are six points worse off but have a game in hand.

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