Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid team-mates heaped praise on the Portugal international after he scored yet another hat-trick for the Spanish giants in their 5-1 mauling of Real Sociedad last weekend.
It was the second successive treble Ronaldo has netted at the Bernabeu, having also achieved the feat in the 7-3 win over Sevilla, and he has now notched 23 hat-tricks for Real since joining the club in 2009.
He has also scored 24 goals in all competitions for Real this season and was described by coach Carlo Ancelotti after the win over Sociedad as being “out of this world”.
Ronaldo’s colleagues have also lauded the 28-year-old, with centre-back Raphael Varane saying on his club website: “He is special and spectacular.”
Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez was similarly lavish in his praise.
Lopez knows as well as anyone just what Ronaldo can do having been in the £80 million man’s sights during his time with Villarreal, including conceding one of the striker’s hat-tricks in 2011.
“We’ve seen once again that he’s a unique player, who we are fortunate to have here. He makes the difference day after day,” Lopez said.
Full-back Daniel Carvajal, who rejoined Real Madrid this summer following a year with Bayer Leverkusen, added: “He’s proving that he’s the best player in the world for me and for a lot of people.”
On the prospect of Ronaldo possibly ending Lionel Messi’s four-year reign as world footballer of the year, Carvajal added: “Ronaldo improves every day for himself and for Real Madrid.
“The decision of who wins the Ballon d’Or isn’t mine or my team-mates’ to make, it’s up to the committee. I’m thrilled to have Cristiano on our side every weekend with everything that he brings to the team.”
Carvajal is also pleased to have Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema up front alongside Ronaldo, with those three having notched 16 of the 17 goals Madrid have scored in their last four matches.
“They make us suffer in the training sessions. The truth is that it’s not easy when you see them in front of you and they attack. Thank God we have them on our team and it’s a pleasure to play with them,” he said.