Cristiano Ronaldo became the all-time leading male goalscorer in football history as his stunning hat-trick helped Manchester United win 3-2 against Tottenham.
Ronaldo has netted only once in his last 10 matches, amid speculation the Portugal striker was considering his future after less than a season out of his second spell with United.
The 37-year-old’s commitment was questioned when he flew to Portugal last weekend instead to see his team after being ruled out of their 4-1 loss to Manchester City with a hip injury.
Even United’s interim boss Ralph Rangnick admitted he did not know whether Ronaldo was happy at the club.
But Ronaldo proved his commitment to the combined objective with a stellar performance to send Tottenham single-handedly at Old Trafford.
With recently retired NFL legend Tom Brady watching from the stands, Ronaldo scored his first United treble since 2008.
His brilliant 25-yard drive put United ahead in the 12th minute, before Harry Kane equalized in the 35th minute with a penalty for a handball from Alex Telles.
Ronaldo restored United’s lead three minutes later with a cross from Jadon Sancho, but Harry Maguire’s own 72nd-minute goal threatened to ruin their evening.
However, according to FIFA data, Ronaldo headed home in the 81st minute to claim his 807th career goal from a tails corner, making him the top-scoring men’s player in history, as he overtook Joseph Beacon. .
Ronaldo’s heroics earned him a standing ovation from Brady and propelled United into fourth place, while Tottenham are five points behind him in seventh.
“Today it was his best performance, at least since I arrived. He was good at training on Thursday and so I decided to start him,” Rangnik said.
“A great performance. It was not only three goals, it was also that he was part of the team when he was in possession of the ball.
“We showed the way we were reacting at City after a bad second half.”
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