For rival supporters, the hyperbole surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's second Manchester United debut will soon start to grate. Indeed, by its sheer nature, hyperbolic language surrounding something you're not involved in is, frankly, annoying. 

Still, what makes Ronaldo's return to the Premier League so fascinating is that this is a player who actually lives up to the billing. Whether or not he is the profile of player United needed to win the Premier League or Champions League is certainly up for debate but no one would doubt his almost unprecedented ability to score goals. 

Clearly, that may not be enough to win major trophies (particularly given how things ended both domestically and abroad for Juventus) but, tactical misgivings aside, Ronaldo boasts an enviable quality. 

Bringing the joy out of cold, hard numbers. 

Following his second debut for the Manchester giants, during which he scored twice in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United, Planet Football compiled a list of 11 fascinating stats to have emerged from the game. 

As ever, it makes for excellent reading. 

  • Ronaldo broke the record for longest time period between Premier League goals (10th May 2009 to 11th September 2021, 4507 days) 
  • Two goals from just eight touches in the opposition penalty box 
  • Scored with both of his shots on target 
  • Overtook Fernando Torres, Louis Saha, Carlos Tevez and Eden Hazard to become the 44th-highest goalscorer in Premier League competition (86) 
  • Became the only player to score 30+ plus in 15 consecutive calendar years 
  • Hit a top speed of 20.2 miles per hour 
  • Completed 17 of his passes in the final third 
  • Now, only Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are players older than Ronaldo to have scored a Premier League goal 
  • Two goals took his overall tally of braces to 200 in his career 
  • First Man Utd No.7 to score twice in a Premier League game at Old Trafford since he left in 2009 
  • Overtook Jack Grealish, Kai Havertz, Roberto Firmino and Arsenal for Premier League goals this season 

Collective glory is far from certain this season. Records being broken, however, pretty much is.