Cristiano Ronaldo has reached another major milestone.
The 37-year-old Portuguese soccer star earned the 50th hat trick of his club career on Saturday as he led Manchester United to a 3-2 victory over last-placed Norwich City at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo sealed the hat trick on a free kick, his first of the kind in over 18 months, according to Sports Illustrated.
The Manchester United forward celebrated his big accomplishment and the all-important win on Instagram, noting that he is “very happy with this win” and glad that his team is “back on track in the [English] Premier League.”
“Like I said before, individual achievements are only worth it when they help us reach our goals as a team,” Ronaldo wrote in the caption of his post. “The 60th hat-trick in my career is so much more important because it brought us the 3 points.”
“Well done, lads, tremendous effort from everyone. We’re not giving up, we’re fighting until the end! ????⚫️????????,” he concluded.
Ronaldo received lots of support on his post, including a like from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who attended the March 12 match in which Ronaldo recorded his last hat trick.
Brady even met Ronaldo on the pitch after the game, telling the soccer star “great game, good playing, [and] you played great,” in a clip shared on Ronaldo’s Instagram page shortly after the meet-up.
The March hat trick was his first since returning to Old Trafford as a member of Manchester United for the first time in 12 years in 2021 after playing for both Real Madrid and Juventus.
Back in August, Manchester United said in a statement that the team was “delighted” to bring Ronaldo back after more than a decade. On social media, Manchester United shared a short and simple message addressing Ronaldo: “Welcome home, @Cristiano.”
Manchester United is now three points behind Tottenham in the English Premier League, moving past Arsenal in the standings to fifth place.
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