Ronaldo fires four goals as Real Madrid rout Celta Vigo

Ronaldo’s haul gave him 252 career goals, surpassing Telmo Zarra’s mark of 251 goals that had stood as a record until Barcelona star Lionel Messi passed that milestone in 2014. Messi’s hat trick in a 5-1 win at Rayo Vallecano on Thursday took his leading tally to 305. 

After Pepe put Madrid ahead before halftime, Ronaldo scored with a long blast. He added another goal from a free kick, tapped in a short cross, and headed home a corner kick. Jese Rodriguez and Gareth Bale completed the demolition of a Celta side that held its own before halftime but fell apart in the second half. 

Besides surpassing Zarra’s mark for Athletic Bilbao from 1955, Ronaldo also passed Barcelona’s Luis Suarez as the league top scorer for the season. Ronaldo has 27 goals to Suarez’s 25 Madrid remained in third place and a provisional nine points behind leader Barcelona while second-placed Atletico Madrid visit Valencia. 

Disqualified from the Copa del Rey and its Liga title hopes all but gone, Madrid turns back to its most realistic chance to salvage the season when it hosts Roma on Tuesday in the Champions League round of 16, holding a 2-0 advantage. “Ronaldo is one of a kind,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “I never scored four goals.”