Cristiano Ronaldo, what his hattrick means for Manchester United

• Manchester United on Saturday defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 at the Old Trafford and one man was at the centre of everything, Cristiano Ronaldo
• Ronaldo scored a hat-trick for Ralf Rangnick’s side to secure the win against Antonio Conte’s side
• This was not just any other hat-trick for Ronaldo because it came with several records broken

Cristiano Ronaldo has spent so much of his career rewriting the history books that a hat-trick against Tottenham on Saturday was just another reminder of his “levels” – many said.

Genius was the word used by Manchester United legend Roy Keane after Saturday evening’s treble at Old Trafford secured a 3-2 win that could yet be a major lift for a United side who still face a tall order to finish in the Premier League top four.

Arsenal, one point above fifth-placed United with three games in hand, remain favourites for that slot, but Ronaldo’s performance against Spurs was a signal the Red Devils could still force their way into those positions at the season’s end.

Manchester United players celebrate after Cristiano Ronaldo netted his third against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Saturday, March 12 2022. | PHOTO: Getty Images |

Keane said on Sky Sports after the final whistle: “Scoring goals is the hardest part of the game. To score that many goals at the highest level – international goals, big games in the Champions League… today obviously it was Spurs. What more can you say? The guy’s a genius.”

There is a theory that Ronaldo is now the world’s all-time record goalscorer, overtaking Josef Bican, an Austrian-Czech striker who was prolific in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

Official records from that time can be difficult to ratify, and Czech FA experts have previously put Bican’s figure at 821 goals rather than the often-stated figure of 805.

Nevertheless, there is much that can be stated with conviction, and recorded data outlines just what a performance this was from Ronaldo.

The former Real Madrid man has now scored a hat-trick in each of his last 13 seasons, and this was his 49th club career hat-trick.

Having spent nine years at Real Madrid, and then three with Juventus, Ronaldo has reacquainted himself with the English game this season. It had been 14 years and 59 days since he scored what was his only previous Premier League hat-trick, against Newcastle United, making it the longest such gap in the competition’s history.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a record 49th hat-trick on Saturday, March 12 2022 at Old Trafford in a Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur. | PHOTO: Getty Images |

Teddy Sheringham is the only player to have scored a Premier League treble later in life. Sheringham was 37 years and 146 days old when he scored three for Portsmouth against Bolton Wanderers in August 2003. Ronaldo was 37 years and 35 days, so to break Sheringham’s record he will have to remain in the Premier League next season.

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte was quick to praise Ronaldo after the final whistle, and it was little wonder; Ronaldo became only the second player to score a top-flight hat-trick against a team managed by the Italian, following in the footsteps of Giuseppe Rossi in October 2013 for Fiorentina against Juventus. Rossi, coincidentally, was a United player for a large part of Ronaldo’s previous spell at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo has scored in each of his last seven appearances against Tottenham in all competitions. Indeed, he has netted more goals against Spurs than he has against any other English side in his career (14).

At 2-2, there was a threat to United’s astonishing run of 301 Premier League games without defeat when they have held a half-time lead at Old Trafford. Ronaldo’s intervention staved that off emphatically.

United have now won exactly 400 Premier League home games, becoming the first team to reach that milestone. Some 23 of those wins have been against Tottenham, which is more than any side has beaten another at home in the Premier League.

Ronaldo is now the joint-second top scorer in the Premier League this season with 12 goals, albeit he is a distant eight behind runaway leader Mohamed Salah of Liverpool.