By: Daniela Garcia
Worldwide soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo became the all-time top scorer for professional soccer during Mar.10th against Tottenham Hotspur by scoring a hat-trick and winning 3-2.
During the rival game against Tottenham Hotspur, Ronaldo managed to score three goals, the first being 12 minutes into the game and the second one breaking the all-time record according to FIFA’s record count.
“As an avid Ronaldo fan, I was both excited and surprised with his accomplishment,” said Laura Calleja, junior sports management major. “The record break was an admirable thing, but the hat trick that came with it was a special bonus to see as a watcher.”
The match started out with Ronaldo scoring after the first 12 minutes. Eventually, Harry Kane scored for Tottenham from the penalty spot during minute 36, and Ronaldo scored again three minutes after Kane, giving an advantage to Manchester 2-1.
After the halftime break, the game resumed with another goal for Tottenham during minute 72 by Harry Maguire which tied the game. As the game came to an end, Ronaldo managed to score his final goal during minute 83- a mere nine minutes before its ending.
“Ronaldo’s three goals came from assists from midfielder Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos, or, ‘Fred’, winger Jadon Sancho and defender Alex Telles,” said Ricardo Darias, junior cybersecurity major.
With the record break, Ronaldo has been able to collect a total of 807 goals during his career, beating the last record-holder Josef Bican and his 805 goals.
The Portuguese player has been part of four club teams while playing professionally, including, Sporting Lisbon (five goals), Manchester United (136 goals), Real Madrid (450 goals), Juventus (101 goals), He also plays for the Portugal National Team where he has also broken the record for most international goals by a single player in history (115 goals).
With his recent achievement, soccer fanatics and experts have been celebrating all around. Some dare to say Ronaldo is the best player in the world due to his passion for the game and extreme discipline.
“Ronaldo has always stood out to me because of his discipline and love for soccer,” said Osvaldo Garcia, a now-retired professional soccer coach for Ecuador’s National Team. “When he started out he clearly had a gift for playing but had to train hard to exploit his talent to the max. Compared to his rival Lionel Messi who is naturally better at the game, Ronaldo has always worked harder, being able to significantly improve past his talent and become the best.”
It was a matter of time until Ronaldo broke this record since he is considered to be a top scorer in almost every game he plays for his teams. After his departure from his long-term club Real Madrid in 2018, he has been an extremely sought-out player and has been transferred from Juventus to Manchester United for a 12.85 million pound transfer.
“Watching Ronaldo play is always a pleasure, every time he plays he truly demonstrates he is the best at what he does and ends up stunning the crowds with his skills and tricks,” said Calleja.
With his return to Manchester United last year, Ronaldo will most likely continue to both break more records in the soccer world and please his fans who are happy to continue to watch him make history as a soccer player in the 21st century.