Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has set his sights on more hat-tricks after scoring all three of his side's goals in their 3-2 victory over Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.
The Portugal captain completed the 60th treble of his career in style with a powerful, 76th-minute free kick which proved to be the winner in a hard-fought Premier League clash. Ronaldo's latest hat-trick means he has scored five more than great rival Lionel Messi for club and country.
Remarkably, the 37-year-old continues to show no sign of slowing down and he has scored as many hat-tricks since turning 30 as he managed up to that point. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner took to social media to toast his latest personal achievement and outline his intention to add to his world-record trebles tally.
"30 hat-tricks before 30 and 30 hat-tricks after 30," he posted on Twitter and Instagram. "It's time to unbalance the scale!" Ronaldo's brilliant showing against the relegation-bound Canaries extended his lead at the top of the United scoring chants as he has recorded 21 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions, 12 more than Bruno Fernandes.
It has proved to be a record-breaking season for the former Real Madrid and Juventus ace, who became the all-time leading goalscorer in men's international football back in September. Three months later, he cemented his status as one of the greatest ever players by becoming the first in history to score 800 career goals.
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While Ronaldo has had a largely positive impact since returning to United in a £20million deal from Juve last summer, Messi has received mixed reviews since joining Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer from Barcelona. The Argentina skipper has only scored eight goals in all competitions - a meagre sum given his prolific reputation - although he has 13 assists to his name in Ligue 1, including a hat-trick of assists in a 6-1 thrashing of Clermont Foot earlier in April.
PSG will aim to increase their 12-point lead at the top of the table when they take on rivals Marseille in Le Classique on Sunday night. United also take on a bitter foe in their next fixture as they travel to Liverpool on Tuesday before facing Arsenal on Saturday in a clash that could help determine which club nabs fourth in the Premier League this season. Tottenham occupy the final Champions League spot but United and the Gunners are three points behind, with the latter having the advantage of a game in hand.
