Real Madrid stars lined up to pay homage to Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese’s record-breaking hat-trick against Celta Vigo.
Ronaldo’s treble in Saturday night’s 3-0 victory was the 23rd of his La Liga career, taking him clear of Alfredo Di Stefano and Telmo Zarra as Spain’s all-time leading hat-trick scorer, with Lionel Messi a little further back on 21.
The goals also took his Spanish league total to the milestone of 200, a feat he has remarkably achieved in just 178 appearances since joining the Bernabeu club from Manchester United in the summer of 2009.
That double century makes Ronaldo ninth in the all-time La Liga goalscoring chart, and at his current pace he should overhaul second place Telmo Zarra’s total of 251 roughly this time next year, although leader and eternal rival Messi is unlikely to be caught unless the Argentine suffers a prolonged goalscoring drought.
Another milestone in Ronaldo’s sights is the all-time European league goalscoring record, currently held by former Tottenham and Chelsea ace Jimmy Greaves with 366.
Including his goals for Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo’s current total is 287, meaning he should overtake Greaves in a couple of years if current standards are maintained.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti was first to pay tribute to Ronaldo, who has now scored 23 goals in the opening 14 games of the La Liga season to put him on course to smash Messi’s single-season record of 50.
“It is a real advantage to have Cristiano playing for us,” said Ancelotti with more than a hint of understatement. “He is playing really well and he is in peak physical condition. He is extraordinarily motivated at the moment.”
Shortly after netting his hat-trick goal, Ronaldo was replaced to a standing ovation from the appreciative Bernabeu crowd, but Ancelotti confirmed there are no fitness concerns over his star man: “It was just to give him a rest.”
Long-standing team-mate Sergio Ramos, who reached a milestone of his own with his 300th La Liga appearance for Los Blancos, also enthused over his contribution.
“Records and praise can never do him justice,” said the centre-back. “It is difficult to find words to describe a player like Cristiano. He may be having one of his best ever periods of form.”
Pepe was also eager to praise his international team-mate, adding: “There are no longer words to describe Cristiano – he outdoes himself with every new game. Everyone can see that he really commits himself as a footballer and we are delighted with his record because we enjoy playing alongside him.”
Ancelotti also highlighted Madrid’s defensive efforts after watching them keep Celta’s attack at bay to register the 10th clean sheet of their 18-game winning run.
Although Madrid’s attacking play was rarely at its fluent best, a disciplined defensive display ensured goalkeeper Iker Casillas didn’t have to make a real save throughout the entire 90 minutes, and a delighted Ancelotti said: “The entire team’s defensive work was very important.
“The players worked well together against a team that really push you. We were solid at the back, quick and did not take risks.”
Another positive was a composed display from central midfielder Asier Illarramendi, who was making only his second league start of the season in the absence of suspended Isco and injured Luka Modric.
The former Sociedad midfielder has not always looked comfortable during his 18 months at the Bernabeu, but Ancelotti added: “Illarra played really well in both areas of the game, going forward and defending, and he did so with real character.”
