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A dream homecoming for Cristiano Ronaldo saw the Portuguese star set more incredible stats and helped Manchester United bag a crucial win.
The Portuguese superstar marked his return to Manchester United in the best possible way by scoring two goals in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United.
Ronaldo opened the scoring at the stroke of half-time when he fired in from close range and then restored United's lead after Javier Manquillo had equalized for the away side.
Cristiano Ronaldo registered astonishing stats on his second debut for Manchester United
12 years on from his last Premier League appearance, Cristiano Ronaldo has silenced his doubters again. He has proved how he can lead Manchester United back to its glory days with a Man of the Match performance on Saturday.
Apart from a fantastic debut, Cristiano Ronaldo also registered some pretty amazing stats during Manchester United's win over Newcastle. Here we take a look at five such stats that Ronaldo registered after his impressive performance.
#5 Third-oldest player to score in the Premier League for Manchester United
Despite being 36-years-old, Cristiano Ronaldo has shown no signs of slowing down.
With his first goal against Newcastle on Saturday, the Portuguese superstar became the third oldest Premier League goalscorer for Manchester United. He also became Manchester United's oldest since Ryan Giggs' goal in a 2-0 over QPR in February 2013.
Only former teammates Giggs and Paul Scholes have scored at an older age than Cristiano Ronaldo in the Premier League for the Red Devils.
Teddy Sheringham holds the record for the oldest goalscorer in the Premier League (40y 268d). Considering Cristiano Ronaldo's hunger and fitness, you wouldn't put it past him to break this record either.
#4 44th on all-time leading Premier League goalscorers list
With his brace against Newcastle United, Cristiano Ronaldo climbed to the 44th spot in the all-time leading Premier League goalscorers list.
He overtook former Manchester United teammates Carlos Tevez and Louis Saha, as well as ex-Chelsea stars Fernando Torres and Eden Hazard.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 84 goals in the Premier League during his first stint with Manchester United, adding another two on Saturday to take his total to 86. He will definitely be hoping to reach the 100 goal mark this season, becoming only the 31st player in Premier League history to do so.
#3 First Manchester United No. 7 to hit Premier League brace at Old Trafford since 2009
Following his two goals against Newcastle, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first Manchester United No. 7 to score a brace at Old Trafford since 2009. Guess who it was back then? It was Ronaldo himself.
Such has been the curse of Manchester United's No. 7 shirt that no player who has worn it since Ronaldo's departure in 2009 has scored more than a solitary goal at Old Trafford.
It has been worn by the likes of Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay, Alexis Sanchez and Edinson Cavani. But none of them have managed to score a brace at Old Trafford. In fact, except Edinson Cavani and Antonio Valencia, all of them failed during their time at the club.
Fans will be hoping that Ronaldo's arrival will make Manchester United's No. 7 jersey great again.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo equals Lionel Messi's record of 200 career braces
Cristiano Ronaldo not only broke Manchester United's No. 7 curse with his brace, but he also equalled Lionel Messi's record of 200 career braces for club and country.
The Portuguese has achieved this feat in 1076 matches while Messi has done it in 932 games.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been competing with each other for the last decade or so, driving and motivating each other. This has enabled them to arguably become two of the best players the footballing world has ever seen and hold several records to their name.
While both have sought new pastures this season, they will still be competing with each other to become the best. It will be interesting to see who holds this record at the end of their careers.
#1 Only player to score 30 plus goals in 15 consecutive calendar years
Cristiano Ronaldo's first goal against Manchester United was his 30th in 2021, meaning he is the only player to score more than 30 goals in 15 consecutive calendar years. That is an amazing achievement for a player who has been consistently performing at such a high level for more than a decade.
He first crossed the 30-goal mark in 2007 and the Portuguese forward has not looked back since. His highest tally of goals in a calendar year came in 2013, when he scored a staggering 69 goals for both club and country.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 22 goals at club level this year, with 20 of them for Juventus, while the remaining two came for Manchester United on Saturday. He scored the remaining nine goals for the Portugal national team, with five of them coming at Euro 2020, helping him win the tournament's Golden Boot.
Considering Cristiano Ronaldo and his abilities, he will definitely be looking to cross the 50 goal mark before the end of the year.
