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Over the years, the Real Madrid and Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo has mesmerised people all over the globe with his intense hunger and penchant for scoring goals. Every single football fan dreams of having Ronaldo on his team, owing to his insane goal-scoring feats.
Ronaldo is known to score a plethora of goals week in week out for both club and country. He has innumerable records to his name. Among the many records he has mustered, the Real Madrid star holds the record for most hat-tricks in the history of La Liga and also in the UEFA Champions League (32 in La Liga and 7 in the Champions League).
Out of the 45 hattricks in his career, here are the top five of Cristiano Ronaldo's three-goal hauls that prove his supremacy in the football world.
#5: Against Newcastle United (2008)
This memorable three-goal haul had to make the list. The first of his 45 hat-tricks in his entire career, this remains the only hat-trick Ronaldo scored in the famous red shirt of Manchester United.
The first goal was an intelligent under the wall free-kick by the Portuguese talisman, which left the Newcastle wall utterly bamboozled. Although the goalkeeper reached the ball, he failed to save it.
The second was a product of the famous trinity's combo. From the deeper areas, Ronaldo passed the ball to Wayne Rooney who then found Carlos Tevez. The Argentine then freed up CR7 with a deft pass, as the number 7 slotted the ball in the bottom left corner.
The third came in with Giggs lobbing the ball into Newcastle's penalty box. As a defenders failed to clear the ball, Ronaldo was quick to capitalize on the opportunity. He beat another defender with a sleek cut and netted the ball, completing a memorable and the first of his many hat-tricks.
#4: Against Bayern Munich (2017)
Bayern Munich met Real Madrid in the Champions League 2017 quarter-finals. The Spanish giants had emerged as the better side in the first leg, winning the game 2-1 at Allianz. But, Robert Lewandowski levelled the aggregate score with a 53rd-minute penalty.
Ronaldo then rose to the occasion in the 76th minute when midfielder Casemiro found him in the penalty area with a long pass. Ronaldo beat both Philip Lahm and Jerome Boateng, heading in the equaliser for Los Blancos.
Yet, the relief was short-lived, with Sergio Ramos scoring an own goal in the very next minute out of sheer confusion. The Madrid fans had to wait until the first half of extra time when Ronaldo scored his second after calmly controlling the ball with his chest first.
The third goal was a well-worked dribbled effort from Marcelo, who ran past a host of Bayern defenders to set up Ronaldo for his third goal, fooling Manuel Neuer in the process. Madrid progressed to the semis, thanks to Ronaldo's hat-trick.
#3: Against Celta Vigo (2012)
This was another fantastic display of sheer talent from the Real Madrid talisman. From a Xabi Alonso throw-in, Ronaldo scored an absolute scorcher from outside the penalty box. Goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez failed to save the incredible shot.
Croatian maestro Luka Modric set up the Real Madrid talisman for his second goal with a precise long ball in the penalty area.
Ronaldo completed another of his hat-tricks via a speedy counter-attack. The Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain made a deft pass to CR7 who netted the ball at the near post. Madrid won the game 4-0 and advanced to the next round in the Copa Del Rey.
You can watch the video here.
#2: Against Wolfsburg (2016)
In 2016, German outfit Wolfsburg were on the brink of pulling off a major upset. The Germans had defeated Real Madrid 2-0 at home in the quarterfinals, making it an uphill task to for the Los Blancos to qualify in the semis.
Cometh the occasion, cometh the man. Cristiano Ronaldo was an absolute match-winner at the Bernabeu, punishing Wolfsburg with a well-deserved hat-trick. The first of the three was a tap-in on Carvajal's grounded pass inside the penalty box.
Ronaldo levelled the aggregate score two minutes later with a header from a Toni Kroos corner. Another cleverly grounded free-kick -- though it took a slight deflection -- in the bottom left corner saw CR7 completing his hat-trick as Real beat Wolfsburg 3-2 on aggregate and advanced to the semis.
#1: Against Atletico Madrid (2012)
This has to go down as the best hat-trick Cristiano Ronaldo has ever scored in his entire career. A brilliant 40-yard free-kick, a trademark long-distance goal, and a penalty helped Ronaldo bag three against cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid.
The fixture was a big hurdle in Madrid's road to clinch the 32nd La Liga title. However, However, Ronaldo once again proved to be the perfect man in crucial games.
Ronaldo's trademark 40-yard free-kick left Belgian shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois rooted to the spot. Columbian poacher Radamel Falcao levelled the score with a header. However, it was not long before the mercurial Ronaldo again stunned Courtois with a brilliant knuckleball goal from outside the penalty box.
Ronaldo later confirmed the three points for Real Madrid from close range. A foul on Gonzalo Higuain by Diego Godin paved the way for the Portuguese skipper to dispatch the ball in the bottom left corner from the penalty spot. Though Courtois dived in the right direction, the Belgian was unable to stop the shot from the mighty Real Madrid talisman as Madrid won 4-1 at the end.
You can watch the hat-trick here.
