Ron the record breaker
Cristiano Ronaldo rolled back the years last Saturday (Mar 12) with
a hat-trick to beat Tottenham 3-2
and keep Manchester United’s chances of playing in the Champions League next season alive.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had scored just once in his previous 10 games, but three fantastic finishes took him clear as the highest scorer in professional men’s football history, according to FIFA’s records, with 807 goals for club and country, surpassing Austria-Czech striker Josef Bican.
Saturday’s hat-trick was the 59th of 37-year-old Ronaldo’s career and took his overall tally for the season to a respectable 18 although, surprisingly, it was only his second treble in a United shirt. His first Premier League hat trick was in Manchester United’s 6-0 win over Newcastle United in Jan 2008 – the longest wait between hat tricks in Premier League history.
Ronaldo’s performance impressed the watching Tom Brady as the seventime Super Bowl winner told his fellow superstar to “keep playing” as they embraced on the Old Trafford pitch after the game.
Whether Ronaldo stays for the second
year of his contract at United will depend heavily on if the Red Devils make it into the Champions League next season. Into the twilight years of his career, he can ill afford a season off the biggest stage where he shines brightest.
Ronaldo had come under heavy criti
cism lately for seemingly being unable or unwilling to adapt to the high-energy,
pressing style of play employed by United
interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
The Portuguese has also been pointed
at as the source for stories of dressing room disquiet that seem to leak out after
every poor result.
Amid reports he was set to be dropped for the Manchester derby on Mar 6, Ronaldo jetted back to his homeland to rehab a hip injury that was given as the official reason for missing a 4-1 thrashing at the Etihad.
Rangnick joked that maybe he should
sanction that trip more regularly after
Ronaldo returned to Manchester in scintillating
form to put Spurs to the sword.
But he also did not hold back in his assessment of Ronaldo’s work off the ball in recent weeks.
“Today he showed for sure that he is physically capable to do that,” Rangnick
said of Ronaldo’s defensive contribution.
“We also have to admit that it has not
always been like that in the past weeks and months. Today showed exactly that he is still in physical shape to perform at that level.”
At time of press, Manchester United were in fifth place in the Premier League
table on 50 points from 29 games. They trail Arsenal in fourth spot by a single point although the North London club have played three games less.