Cristiano Ronaldo continues to set and break records as he continues to cement himself as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
That continued Saturday as the Portuguese superstar scored a hat-trick against Norwich City, beating his own mark just a month previously and continuing on his potential collision course with yet another record.
Ronaldo became the second-oldest player to ever score a Premier League hat-trick with his trio of goals against Tottenham in March, and he topped that just a month later with yet another hat-trick against Norwich City in mid-April. He is just under 100 days behind the record, and could set the mark if he stays with Manchester United this summer and continues in the Premier League next season.
MORE: Is Ronaldo really the leading club goalscorer in professional soccer history?
Ronaldo is also the oldest player to ever score a World Cup hat-trick, accomplishing the feat in the 2018 tournament against Spain at the age of 33 years and 131 days.
49 - Cristiano Ronaldo (37y & 35d) has scored the 49th hat-trick of his club career, while he becomes the second oldest player in Premier League history to net a treble after Teddy Sheringham in August 2003 (37y & 146d). Speechless. pic.twitter.com/FUwWb6Axet
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 12, 2022
The oldest hat-trick scorer in Europe's top five leagues was Jorge Molina, who scored a hat-trick for Granada against Mallorca in La Liga play in December earlier this season, at 39 years and 241 days old.
Who is the oldest player to score a Premier League hat-trick?
While Ronaldo does not yet own the mark of oldest hat-trick scorer in Premier League history, he certainly came close over the weekend.
MORE: Premier League top goalscorers for 2022 season
Teddy Sheringham holds that mark, interestingly, a man who played for both Manchester United and Tottenham throughout his career. Sheringham is also the Premier League's oldest goalscorer, scoring his final time at 40 years and 266 days old.
| Player | Age | Team | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teddy Sheringham | 37 years, 146 days | Portsmouth | Bolton Wanderers | Aug 26, 2003 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 37 years, 80 days | Man United | Norwich City | April 16, 2022 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 37 years, 35 days | Man United | Tottenham | March 12, 2022 |
| Gordon Strachan | 36 years, 60 days | Leeds United | Blackburn | April 10, 1993 |
Ronaldo's hat-trick brought him past Gordon Strachan, who is the only player in Premier League history born before 1960 to score a hat-trick.
Ronaldo would be unable to break the record this season, as he will achieve Sheringham's record age on July 2, meaning he would need to stay in the Premier League for next season to have a chance at breaking the mark.
The youngest player to ever score a Premier League hat-trick was Michael Owen, whose treble on Valentine's Day 1993 for Liverpool against Sheffield Wednesday came at the spry age of 18 years and 62 days.
