Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo equals La Liga hat trick record

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti paid tribute to his front three as they thrashed Athletic Bilbao 5-0 to move to fourth in La Liga.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, equaling La Liga's long-standing hat trick record with his 22nd for Real Madrid.

The Portuguese star was superb -- his first goal came after just two minutes, a far-post header from Gareth Bale's right-flank cross. His second was also simple, a close-range finish after a fine run and cross by Bale 10 minutes into the second half. With Real cruising at 4-0 late in the game, a simple low finish earned him the record-tying mark, sharing it with another RM legend, Alfredo Di Stefano, and Athletic Bilbao's Telmo Zarra.

It's another accomplishment in Ronaldo's fine career at Real that spans just five seasons. It's also a continuation of his blistering start to the 2014-15 campaign in which he has scored 13 league goals -- more than 18 of 20 La Liga clubs -- and is riding a streak of eight straight games in all competitions with a goal.

In addition, Sunday's treble was Ronaldo's third hat trick in the last four games, a span of just 15 days.

Ronaldo is on 190 La Liga goals after just 171 games; if he continues at this pace, he'll become the quickest player to reach 200 goals in league history.