'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Sunday, Ronaldo scored four goals and provided one assist in a thrilling 6-3 win over Girona and in the process of doing this, the Portuguese Superstar reached the milestone of 50 hat-tricks in his professional career.
This staggering feat will no doubt please the Portuguese Legend and thrill his legion of fans across the world.
The breakdown of Ronaldo's record milestone shows that he scored an unbelievable 44 at Real Madrid, one at Manchester United, and an impressive five international hat-tricks for Portugal.
To breakdown Ronaldo's hat-tricks further presents even more incredible results as during the matches of seven of his 50 hat-tricks he managed to score four goals and on two occasions he managed to score five goals in a single game!
As well as it being his 50th overall hat-trick it was also his 34th in La Liga which extends his lead over Messi who sits at 28 and when considering Ronaldo only joined Los Blancos in 2009 it makes this figure even greater.
In Celebration of this incredible feat, this article will look at the five best hat-tricks that has Ronaldo has scored with the list factoring in the quality of the goals, the significance of them, and the opponents they were scored against.
#5 Real Madrid vs. Woflsburg (Champions League 2015/16)
Coming in at No.5 is Ronaldo's hat-trick against Wolfsburg in Real Madrid's second leg match in the quarter-final tie during the 2015/16 Champions League.
The stakes of this game were high with Real Madrid entering the match two goals down following an unexpected away defeat to Wolfsburg in the first leg.
For Los Blancos to progress they would need to score three goals and keep a clean sheet which is no easy task when it comes to playing in the Champions League; even for Real Madrid.
Nonetheless, Ronaldo stepped up to the plate and once again delivered for his club and scored a hat-trick of diverse goals.
His first came from a deflected cross from Carvajal which Ronaldo reacted the quickest to slotting the ball past the Wolfsburg keeper.
His second of the night came soon after with the Portuguese forward redirecting a Toni Kroos cross with a deft header into the bottom right of goal.
With this goal Real Madrid were now on level terms with Wolfsburg, nevertheless, there was still a lot of work left to do with a clean sheet essential and another goal desperately needed.
Real Madrid came close to scoring a third with Sergio Ramos' header being saved off the line and with the game looking like it was heading for extra time their saviour needed to intervene once again.
Enter Ronaldo.
From about 25 yards out Ronaldo hit a free kick more gently than usual and it fooled the Wolfsburg wall and maneuvered its way through them landing perfectly in the bottom right corner with the stadium erupting.
Real Madrid would go onto to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate with this impressive comeback orchestrated solely by Ronaldo.
Los Blancos would go onto to win the Champions League that season and rescued their under par 2015/16 campaign.
#4 Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid (La Liga 2011/12)
During the 2011/12 season, Ronaldo devastated Atletico Madrid during their second meeting in La Liga that year.
Real Madrid were dominating the Spanish league that year and Ronaldo encapsulated that success with an astonishing hat-trick vs. Real Madrid's city rivals.
After winning the first meeting at home 4-1 in the first half of the season, Los Blancos were expecting a tougher task going to the ground of their Madrid rivals.
However, with his confidence brimming Ronaldo struck the first blow of the match scoring a masterful free kick from at least 35 yards out past a helpless Thibaut Courtois who could do nothing but watch as he was educated by a true master of the game.
Despite Real Madrid being the better team a dogged Atletico equalised making the game 1-1 with Falcao scoring a header past Iker Casillas
Ronaldo unhappy with the game standing at a deadlock took the ball at the left edge corner of the Atletico box and scored a stunning long-range goal which dipped and swerved into the right side of the goal.
His third goal came from a penalty which he slotted past Courtois into the left side of the post despite the Belgian keeper guessing the right way.
This hat-trick is coming in at No.4 primarily due to the calibre of the goals with this hat-trick being perhaps his most skillful one out all 50, but also because it came against Real Madrid's bitter rivals in a thrilling contest.
#3 Manchester United vs. Newcastle United (Premier League 2007/08)
Ronaldo's time at Manchester United almost seems like a dream as it was so long ago, with the Portuguese legend almost seeming like a different player given how far his game has come since joining Real Madrid.
Ronaldo only managed to score one hat-trick during his Manchester United career and that came against Newcastle during the fabled 2007/08 campaign which saw Ronaldo win his first Champions League and first Ballon D'Or.
As Ronaldo played as a Left Midfielder as opposed to an attacking winger during his United days it perhaps comes as less of a surprise that he only managed to score one hat-trick whilst playing for the Red Devils.
Ronaldo's first of the three goals came from a free kick which he cheekily hit underneath the wall and into the bottom left of the goal with the Portuguese reaching 20 goals for the season with that goal.
His second goal was equally impressive with the Portuguese being able to expertly control an overhit pass from Carlos Tevez without breaking stride and hammered the ball past Shay Given to score his 50th league goal for United.
His hat-trick goal came from a poor headed clearance from the Newcastle defence with Ronaldo intercepting the ball, weaving past a defender, and hitting the ball into the goal.
Despite this not being his best hat-trick in terms of its skill or his best in terms of opponent, it was his first ever hat-trick which makes it a really special moment in the then young career of Ronaldo and because of that it deserves the No. 3 spot in the list.
#2 Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid (Champions League 16/17)
During the 2016/17 Champions League campaign, Real Madrid were looking to be the first team to successfully defend their title in nearly 30 years.
However, with Ronaldo playing well below his unparalleled standards in the competition it looked less likely for Real Madrid and with German titans Bayern Munich in their quarter-final tie the odds seemed stacked against Los Blancos.
Nevertheless, in typical fashion Ronaldo rose to the occasion and scored five goals against Munich over the two legs and catapulted Madrid into the semi-finals where they would face fierce rivals Atletico.
The first leg of this semi-final tie saw Ronaldo full of confidence with the Real Madrid star scoring his second hat-trick against Atletico that season with the first occurring in La Liga towards the end of 2016.
Ronaldo's first goal of his hat-trick came from a cross which he headed into the goal from close range.
Going into the second half the game still stood at 1-0, that was until Ronaldo received an awkward pass which he smashed into the goal after masterfully maneuvering himself into a position to strike the ball properly.
His third came in the latter stages of the match when Lucas Vasquez cut the ball back into the middle of the box with Ronaldo waiting to receive the ball and he slotted it past the keeper amidst the confusion of a penalty area full of players.
This hat-trick deserves the second spot for a series of reasons. The first reason is that it put Real Madrid 3-0 up going into their second leg match against Atletico which was too big a mountain for their rivals to climb meaning Real Madrid advanced to their second successive final.
Secondly, Ronaldo set an incredible record in the Champions League as his hat-trick against Atletico was his second consecutive one with him scoring another one against Bayern Munich in the previous match.
Finally, it deserves the No. 2 spot due to the diversity of goals he scored to complete the hat-trick with Ronaldo scoring a header, a long-range goal, and a close finish demonstrating his prowess in all compartments of goal scoring.
#1 Portugal vs. Sweden (World Cup playoff 2013)
Taking the No.1 spot is Ronaldo's hat-trick against Sweden in the World Cup play-off match which saw Portugal reach the World Cup finals in Brazil 2014 after a disappointing qualification campaign.
The game was played over two legs with the tie being dubbed as "Ronaldo vs. Ibrahimovic" with both teams boasting two world-class talents in their lineups.
Ronaldo had already scored in the first leg going into the match, nevertheless, there was more work to be done to seal Portugal's place in the World Cup and as in almost all the big games, Ronaldo didn't disappoint.
The game deserved the title of "Ronaldo vs. Ibrahimovic" as each player scored three goals and two goals respectively, but it was Ronaldo's Portugal that won overall.
Ronaldo's first goal came from an excellent through ball from Joao Moutinho from the halfway line with the Portuguese forward outpacing the Swedish defence and beautifully guiding the ball into the top right corner to put Portugal up 1-0
The game took a turn however with Sweden going 2-1 up courtesy of a brace from Ibrahimovic meaning Portugal's chance of qualification was less than certain.
Like on so many other occasions, however, Ronaldo ascended to the peak of his powers when his team needed him most and smashed the ball into the bottom right corner after being fed another through ball putting the game beyond doubt.
If that wasn't enough Ronaldo added insult to injury by completing an astonishing hat-trick by smashing the ball which hit the bar on its way in with this goal sending the stadium into a frenzy.
This hat-trick deserves the No.1 spot as it was perhaps his most meaningful one as it turned a poor world cup qualification campaign for Portugal into a valiant success story with Ronaldo demonstrating to any doubters that he could perform under pressure for any team highlighting why he was the best player in the world.
