Paul Pogba has revealed Cristiano Ronaldo is inspired by the thought of breaking record after his history-making hat-trick for Manchester United against Tottenham.
Ronaldo's three goals took him to 807 in his career and according to FIFA made him the highest scorer in the history of men's professional football.
It was a perfectly timed return to form for the 37-year-old, who had scored one goal in 10 games in 2022 and was being written off in some quarters as past his best.
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After missing last week's defeat to Manchester City he returned from a hip problem and an unscheduled trip to Portugal to inspire United to a vital 3-2 win against Tottenham that hauled them back into the race for the top four.
Pogba and his United colleagues were never in any doubt about Ronaldo's quality and the Frenchman believes a lust for writing his name into the record books is still a motivating factor for the striker, despite his advancing years.
"There’s nothing to say, it’s like deja vu. We knew what Cristiano Ronaldo can do and he did what he did best," Pogba told MUTV.
"He’s a record-breaker, that’s his motivation. He always wants to be number one and be the best and he showed it in the game."
Pogba admitted United needed a response from their 4-1 derby day mauling at the Etihad last weekend and now wants to see that carried into Tuesday night's Champions League last-16 second leg against Atletico Madrid.
"We had to react after losing against City, we were all angry about the performance and we wanted the reaction on the pitch and we did it today," said Pogba.
"It’s a good mentality, very good, it was good for us to have this win to get ready for the Champions League, the Champions League one is going to be hard also, we need to be ready for it."
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