Watch: The moment when Cristiano Ronaldo netted 700th club goal of his career vs Everton

Portuguese football sensation Cristiano Ronaldo achieved yet another milestone on Sunday by registering the 700th goal of his club football career. Facing Everton in the Premier League 2022-23 match in Goodison Park, Ronaldo scored the winning goal for Manchester United in the first half of the game. With this goal, Ronaldo became the first player in the history of the game to register a total of 700 career goals at the club level.

Coming into the pitch as a substitute for Anthony Martial in the first half when the game was tied at 1-1, Ronaldo struck at the 44th minute and put United ahead at the break. He latched on to a pass by Casemiro and beat Jordan Pickford near the post to score the winning goal for United. Earlier in the game, Alex Iwobi struck the opening goal for Everton five minutes into the match, while Antony opened the scoresheet for United in the 15th minute. 

Ronaldo blitzkrieg wreaks havoc against Everton

Major up and downs for Cristiano Ronaldo in Premier League 2022-23

The milestone comes after a long and difficult summer for Ronaldo, during which he also flirted with the move away from the Old Trafford-based team. As per reports, Ronaldo wanted to join a club that allows him to play in the UEFA Champions League. However, clubs like  Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich reportedly turned down the offers to rope him in. 

As the season kicked off, Ronaldo was restricted to a role off the bench under new manager Erik ten Hag. He scored his first goal of the season against Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Europa League, which was his eighth appearance for United in the 2022-23 season. Meanwhile, the 37-year-old’s second goal of the season came in his 10th appearance this year. 

'I’m sure there will be more': Man United boss Erik ten Hag hails Ronaldo

Following Ronaldo’s incredible achievement, United head coach Erik ten Hag paid a heartfelt tribute to the iconic footballer. “That is really impressive. To score 700 goals is a huge performance. I’m really happy for him. I congratulate him on that performance and I’m also happy as it’s his first goal this season in the Premier League. He had to wait for it and I’m sure there will be more goals”.

Ronaldo notably achieved the milestone of scoring 700 club goals against Everton, 20 years and two days after scoring his first goal against Sporting. In his illustrious career, Ronaldo has represented clubs like Sporting CP, United, Real Madrid and Juventus in a total of 944 games. He has scored 144 goals for United in 340 games, having scored five goals for Sporting, 450 goals for Real Madrid, and 101 goals for Juventus

Watch highlights of Everton vs Manchester United, Premier League 2022-23 match