Lionel Messi comparison after Cristiano Ronaldo treble as Ralf Rangnick message sent

Your Manchester United headlines for Sunday, March 13.

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the game's greatest-ever players after watching him steal the show at Old Trafford. Ronaldo scored a sensational hat-trick to inspire Manchester United to a 3-2 win against Spurs in the Premier League, moving them back up to fourth place in the process.

It ended a run of one goal in 10 games in 2022 for Ronaldo, but his quality was never in doubt for Conte and he hailed the 37-year-old's ability to still be at the top of his game at this stage of his career. The monumental display from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner comes at a crucial stage of the season for the Reds, in a week that saw Lionel Messi ineffective in a Champions League shock to Real Madrid.

READ MORE: Gary Neville puts Lionel Messi debate to bed

United will be hoping for more of the same from their star attacker as they look to put their name in the hat for the quarter-finals on Tuesday. With the score finely poised at one apiece, Ronaldo will be hoping to extend his tally against his former foes.

Read what Antonio Conte had to say here.

Ralf Rangnick joked Manchester United should let Cristiano Ronaldo travel to Portugal more often after he scored a hat-trick in a match-winning performance against Tottenham. The 37-year-old had to pull the Reds from the depths after Harry Kane bit back with a penalty before a Harry Maguire own goal cancelled out Ronaldo's second in the second half.

Ronaldo missed the 4-1 defeat by City on Sunday but made a return to the starting line-up, with Bruno Fernandes missing through illness. His individual performance helped elevate United back up to fourth in the Premier League table.

Rangnick was unaware