Cristiano Ronaldo became only the third player in history to break the 250 league goals barrier in Spain scoring four in a 7-1 win over Celta Vigo.
Gareth Bale made a goal-scoring return to first team action in the rout meaning he has now scored 12 goals in his last nine games, but it was Ronaldo who took the match ball home with an incredible second half performance.
Remarkably, he had to dedicate the first of his goals to a small group of Real Madrid supporters who had whistled him during the team’s comfortable win – how must they have felt as the club’s all-time top scorer went goal crazy at Celta’s expense?
Pepe had opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the first half, but the demanding supporters were not completely happy with the performance and there had been whistles for one misplaced Ronaldo pass.
When he thundered a right-footed shot past Celta keeper Ruben Blanco on 49 minutes, he did not forget the boo-boys pointing to his right ear as he wheeled away to celebrate.
He then scored a second with a perfectly executed free-kick, taking him to 250 league goals. Only Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra – who scored 251 goals in the forties and fifties – and Leo Messi – who currently has 304 to his name – had scored more.
But it wasn’t long before he had levelled with, and passed, Zarra too. First he converted Isco’s cross from close range. Then he powered a header home from a Jese cross to take his overally tally to 252. He has also smashed the 250-barrier in fewer games than any other player.
It took Messi 289 games and Zarra 269. Ronaldo had done it in just 228. His hat-trick was his 16th and it had also taken him back in front of Messi – who has 15 – as the player with the most La Liga history.
It was also the sixth time, in his Real Madrid career he had scored four goals in one league game and it took his personal tally against Celta Vigo to 17 goals in 10 games.
In among all the other records broken it was easy to forget that he was also back in front of Luis Suarez with 27 goals in the league this season. The mind boggles at the football intelligence of those Real Madrid supporters, who had whistled him before the goals started flying in.
Bale added the seventh goal with 10 minutes left and under pressure coach Zinedine Zidane wore the broadest of smiles on 90 minutes – with his two forwards now both fit and firing on all cylinders the season may yet be saved. Roma arrive on Monday – on this form Real Madrid will not be giving up their 2-0 Champions League last-16 lead easily.
The party feeling, provoked by the festival of second half goals, contrasted with the spiky atmosphere of the first half.
The game had kicked off with around 20,000 empty seats, as stay away fans protested the fact that the team started the game 12 points off the pace in La Liga. They also seemed split over whose fault it is that the campaign has not gone to plan.
Some fans held up a ‘listen to the stadium and quit Florentino’ blaming the president and others behind the goal pointing the finger at the players with a banner that quoted an old Alfredo di Stefano quote: ‘to wear this badge you have to sweat the shirt.’
This was supposed to be a difficult fixture for Madrid. Celta put four past Barcelona earlier in the season and are heading for a Europa League place.
They did get themselves on the score sheet, when former Liverpool striker Iago Aspas flicked the ball over Keylor Navas in the second half, but they were never in the game as soon as Ronaldo got going.
He continues to write history at Real Madrid – maybe his comments after last week’s defeat to Atletico Madrid were even closer to the truth than even those who defended them believed. If everyone was at his level, maybe they would be top.
Culled from Dailymail
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