ATLANTA, GEORGIA—Getting a hat trick or three goals is a dream for many professional soccer players around the world.
On Tuesday, Manchester United’s star striker Cristiano Ronaldo recorded his 10th international hat trick in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Luxembourg in a World Cup Qualifier game.
The 36-year-old Ronaldo has taken his tally to 115 goals for the national team, while he has now netted 794 senior goals since scoring his first professional goal on Oct. 7, 2002.
“Another victory, another step towards our goal, another historic night in defense of our colours!” Ronaldo said in an Instagram post.
“I had promised that I would always be looking for more and more and more! It is in my DNA and in our DNA, we are never satisfied, we never let our arms down and we will always fight for everything we can achieve!,” Ronaldo added.
Last October 9, Ronaldo scored his 112th international goal which further extended the men’s record he broke last month in Portugal’s 3-0 friendly win against 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar.
Ronaldo scored the opening goal for his country eight minutes before half-time with a close-range finish after a cross from Manchester United teammate Diogo Dalot deflected off a Qatar defender.
Last September 29, Ronaldo also broke the all-time Champions League appearance record with his last-minute goal that helped Manchester United beat Villarreal 2-1.
Ronaldo’s appearance in the game gave him 182 which broke the previous record of retired goalkeeper Iker Casillas 181 appearances.
Holding a record is not new for Ronaldo, the Portuguese soccer superstar also holds several other records in the men’s tournament, including the most titles with five.
He is also the top goalscorer with 137 goals, as well as clocking up the most assists with 42.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi trails Ronaldo in both categories, with 121 goals and 36 assists.
Ronaldo has also scored the most penalties with 19, while Messi is second again with 16.
He has also overtaken Messi as the highest-paid soccer player for 2021.
Based on the top-earning soccer player list released by Forbes, Ronaldo is number one with $125 million earnings before taxes in the 2021-22 season, with $70 million coming from salary and bonuses at United.
The rest will come from endorsements and partnerships with brands including Nike, Herbalife, Clear, and his CR7 brand.
Messi, last year’s top-earning soccer player is second with d a salary of $75 million with an additional $35 million from endorsements for total expected earnings of $110 million.
The Argentine’s strike partner at PSG Neymar, who in May signed a new contract until 2025, is third on the list with total earnings of $95 million.
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