Cristiano Ronaldo poses with the entire Manchester United squad to celebrate record 700th club
Manchester United presented Cristiano Ronaldo with a unique shirt to mark his 700th club goal.
The Portuguese surpassed the historic milestone with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday night.
After the game, Ronaldo was given a shirt with his name and the number 700, rather than his regular No 7, with enormous golden balloons spelling out ‘700’ in the background as the entire squad stood with him.
‘Congratulations, @Cristiano — from everyone at United #MUFC,’ said United’s official account in a tweet.
Ronaldo had tweeted earlier that day, adding, ‘What a magnificent number we’ve reached together!’ Thank you to everyone on my team, coaches, clubs, family and friends, and, of course, my fans. ‘United we stand,’ he said, followed by a praying emoji.
The post includes a graphic of Ronaldo symbolizing his four senior clubs: Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United.
Ronaldo’s goal was only his second of the season – and his first in the Premier League – after scoring a penalty in the Europa League against Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol on September 15, nearly a month ago.
After the game, Toffees manager Frank Lampard praised the 37-year-old, stating, ‘It is great.’ He is one of the best players to have ever graced the game, in an era that has included himself and Lionel Messi.
‘The comparison is irrelevant; they are both tremendous players in football history.’
‘The figures they’ve accumulated, abnormal figures that have become commonplace.’ I wanted him to score in the Europa League (against Omonia Nicosia) the other night when he was on 699, but it wasn’t to be.’
Rio Ferdinand, a United legend, added: ‘700 goals. That’s more than my previous appearances. He would have been hurting on the bench, and that is the solution; he is going out there to prove something, and he is doing it.
‘We talked about moving forward, and Ronaldo’s class always shines through.’ He would have been disappointed, but 700 goals today, to be the crucial one, has put everybody who doubted him in their place, and the WhatsApp group will be talking.’
The result, which came after Antony had canceled out Alex Iwobi’s opening for the Toffees, puts Erik ten Hag’s resurgent side in fifth place in the table, one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea and the Champions League qualification spots.
