Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Tottenham, which him in first place on FIFA’s official all-time scoring list.
Manchester United won the game at Old Trafford 3-2 to boost its chances of finishing fourth in the Premier League.
NFL great Tom Brady was in the stands and celebrated United’s win. After the final whistle, Brady went down to the pitch and had a chat with Ronaldo and the rest of United’s players.
Just two ðŸ's chilling
(📽ï¸: @alibendertv)pic.twitter.com/1DzxeEWESc
— CBS Sports Golazo âš½ï¸ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 12, 2022
Ronaldo’s career total reached a staggering 807 thanks to the three goals he scored on Saturday evening. He surpassed the late Austrian forward Josef Bican as the highest scorer in the history of football, according to stats officially recognized by FIFA.
Bican played from 1931 to 1955, with his best years spent at Slavia Prague. For the Czech giants, Bican netted 427 times in 221 matches. He played for both the Austrian national team and later for Czechoslovakia, retiring from football at age 42.
United moves up to fourth, Arsenal with four games in hand
Ronaldo’s heroics against Tottenham didn’t just seal a new record for the Portuguese star. Thanks to his goals, United beat one of their rivals for fourth place in the Premier League table. Tottenham is now five points off United, but they keep two matches in hand.
Man. Utd is now inside the top four, where they wish to be when the season ends too. Arsenal seems like their most dangerous opponent at the moment. The Gunners are just two points behind, but need to play four more games to equal United’s 29.
Arsenal is now at -175 odds to finish inside the top four, a guarantee for Champions League football next season. United is seen as an outsider by the bookies at +320, while Tottenham is now at +350. West Ham has fallen behind in the odds race, with The Hammers now at +2000.
United alive: the reaction the fans dreamed of after City humiliation
Last week, United lost 4-1 in the Manchester Derby by arch-rivals City. The Red Devils were winless in their last three outings, including the Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash against Atletico in Madrid, before playing Tottenham.
A long-range screamer from Cristiano Ronaldo made the Man U. faithful jump high in the air after 12 minutes, but Kane equalized from the penalty spot 10 minutes before halftime.
ALL. ANGLES. COVERED. 🎥
Watch THAT Cristiano Ronaldo wondergoal as his hat-trick against Spurs ensured he became the top scorer in football history ðŸ pic.twitter.com/wtnWYy04ml
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 12, 2022
Tottenham’s joy didn’t last for long. Ronaldo put United in front again after just three minutes. Maguire’s unlucky own goal in the 72nd minute did not win Spurs a point in Manchester. Ronaldo headed the ball in Hugo Lloris’ net following a corner in the 81st minute to conclude a fantastic night of football in Manchester.
United will play the return leg against Atletico Madrid for a seat in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday. The two teams drew 1-1 in Madrid three weeks ago.
United is now the favorite to win according to the bookies, who have them at +115 odds. Atletico is at +250 odds, while a draw that would send the match to extra-time is at +200. A bet on United qualifying stands at -157 odds, whereas going for Atletico Madrid returns +140.
