Real Madrid romped to their third victory under Zidane putting six past hapless Espanyol. At the center of it all was three-time Ballon d ‘OR winner Cristiano Ronaldo netting yet another hat-trick in La Liga. There seems to be no limit to his goal scoring ability.
Several critics stated that the Portuguese International was past his best after scoring at a slower rate than he usually does this season with only 16 goals in 21 appearances. But Ronaldo made his football do the talking and responded with a perfect treble.
Real Madrid started with a bang scoring three goals in the first fifteen minutes. Benzema opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Ronaldo then scored his first, five minutes later from the penalty spot and Rodriguez made it three within the first quarter of an hour. Ronaldo scored his second right before half-time with a fierce left-footer from outside the box. He completed his hat-trick in the 82nd minute after heading a Jese cross into the net.
With this, Ronaldo now has 39 career hat-tricks. Five of those have been perfect hat-tricks(at least one scored off the right foot, left foot and head).
In both the games against Espanyol in La Liga this season, he has scored eight goals. No other player in the history of the Spanish top division in this century has scored that many against a single team in a season.
The hat-trick has also put Ronaldo back in the hunt for the Pichichi award, level with Suarez on 19. The forward has also reached the 30 goal tally in all competitions this season, the 7th time he has achieved the landmark in the last seven seasons at Real Madrid.
In terms of penalties, the 30-year-old has now converted seven times from 12 yards which is the highest in the top five European Leagues. He has also now won more penalties, 14 to be exact which is more than any player since the 2009/10 season. Ronaldo is now only two behind Lionel Messi in terms of goals from outside the box with 17 long rangers.
The Portuguese's record-breaking prowess is also helping the Los Blancos reach certain landmarks. Real have now scored five or more goals in six matches this season. Thier win over Espanyol lifted them to 64 goals this season which is the highest total in all major divisions across Europe.
It’s safe to say that the superstar is now back in form and now it’s just a matter of how many more records he will end up breaking by the end of the season. Real Madrid now face strugglers Granada in an away fixture. Another hat-trick on the horizon? You wouldn't bet against him!
