'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United has been highly successful. His performances in the famed red shirt have made it seem as if he never left the club.
Trending
He re-joined the Red Devils after a fairly successful spell at Juventus. He became an instant hit on social media when Manchester United announced his return; the announcement on Twitter became the most liked tweet for a sports team.
Ronaldo was awarded the No.7 jersey on his return to Old Trafford. He has done justice to the iconic shirt, scoring 13 goals across \competitions, including a series of match-winning goals in the Champions League.
The player was close to signing up for United's arch-rivals Manchester City. However, a few of Ronaldo's former teammates and even Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly persuaded him to sign for United instead.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo became the most prolific scorer in men's international football
Cristiano Ronaldo is no stranger to breaking goalscoring records. As things stand, he is the leading goalscorer in Real Madrid's history (450) and also the top scorer (140) in the UEFA Champions League.
So, it was only a matter of time before the prolific forward would overtake Ali Daei's long-standing record of 109 international goals. The Iran striker was the only player with over a century of goals for a national team for 15 years before Ronaldo joined him last year.
Ronaldo's record-breaking goal came during Portugal's FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Ireland in September. The 36-year-old scored the Selecao's both goals in a comeback win. He added a further four goals during the year to end 2021 with 115 international goals.
#1 Ronaldo scored his 800th goal for club and country
Cristiano Ronaldo registered himself in the history books for the umpteenth time when he bagged a brace in Manchester United's 3-2 Premier League win over Arsenal on 3rd December.
With the two goals, he became the leading goalscorer in the 21st century, and is also the only player to breach the 800-goal mark this century. Well, he is officially the only player to reach the landmark figure in football history but some figures suggest the likes of Josef Bican and Pele have scored more.
Ronaldo is showing no signs of slowing down. As things stand, he will end the calendar year with 46 goals for club and country, which is more than his long-time rival Lionel Messi.
