Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, equaling La Liga's long-standing hat trick record with his 22nd for Real Madrid.
The Portuguese star was superb -- his first goal came after just two minutes, a far-post header from Gareth Bale's right-flank cross. His second was also simple, a close-range finish after a fine run and cross by Bale 10 minutes into the second half. With Real cruising at 4-0 late in the game, a simple low finish earned him the record-tying mark, sharing it with another Real Madrid legend, Alfredo Di Stefano, and Athletic Bilbao's Telmo Zarra.
- Toe Poke: Ronaldo learns few dance moves from James
- ESPN FC: Ronaldo wins POTM award
It's another accomplishment in Ronaldo's fine career at Real that spans just five seasons. It's also a continuation of his blistering start to the 2014-15 campaign in which he has scored 13 league goals -- more than 18 of 20 La Liga clubs -- and is riding a streak of eight straight games in all competitions with a goal.
In addition, Sunday's treble was Ronaldo's third hat trick in the last four games, a span of just 15 days.
Ronaldo is on 190 La Liga goals after just 171 games; if he continues at this pace, he'll become the quickest player to reach 200 goals in league history.