"Nobody did that in the history of football" - Nemanja Matic slams Cristiano Ronaldo's critics after Manchester United's win against Tottenham 

Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has slammed critics of Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese superstar scored a fantastic hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur in the 3-2 win.

Cristiano Ronaldo proved to be the difference between the two top-four hopefuls as the Red Devils managed to secure all three points at Old Trafford at the expense of Antonio Conte's Tottenham Hotspur.

The 37-year-old clinched yet another record, surpassing Josef Bican, establishing himself as the highest goalscorer in the history of football. The former Real Madrid star now has a total of 807 career goals to his name.

Ronaldo has had his doubters in recent times but Nemanja Matic believes that critics were foolish to ever doubt a player of Ronaldo's caliber.

The Serbian midfield dynamo claimed that Ronaldo has been the best player in the world for 20 years now, something nobody has managed in the history of the game.

"I think that every day he shows that he’s a great professional, a good example for young players, the things that happen to him he deserves 100%," Matic told MUTV as quoted by Manchester Evening News.

"After more than 800 goals nobody should doubt him."

"He’s 20 years on the top level, 20 years the best player, nobody did that in the history of football."

Ronaldo's hat-trick against Spurs on Saturday was a timely reminder to the world that he is far from finished at the highest level.

Before the game, the 37-year-old endured a difficult spell in 2022 during which he scored just one goal in 10 games.

The former Juventus star missed last week's Manchester derby with a recurrence of a hip injury that saw him miss two games in January as well.

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Can Cristiano Ronaldo lead Manchester United to a top-four finish?

Manchester United have endured an up-and-down season this time around and they desperately need to find some consistency if they are to achieve a top-four finish.

The Red Devils are currently ahead of Arsenal in the fourth spot but have played four more games than Mikel Arteta's side.

With the Gunners playing Leicester City and Liverpool back-to-back, United will hope that the north London side drops some points.

Arsenal still sit in the driver's seat in the race for the fourth spot but with Cristiano Ronaldo finally able to find his aura back, Manchester United should not be overlooked.