Zinedine Zidane Hails 'Unique' Cristiano Ronaldo After Hat-Trick vs. Atletico

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has praised Cristiano Ronaldo, calling him "unique" following his hat-trick in the 3-0 UEFA Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. 

Per the Press Association (h/t Sky Sports), he said: "Cristiano is a goalscorer. He is unique. All the players were brilliant."

He added: "I am lucky to have these players. We try to play our football and enjoy ourselves. It works because we have great players with great attitudes."

Team-mate Sergio Ramos echoed Zidane's sentiment, per Goal: "Obviously when Cristiano is in good form, Real Madrid make the most out of it. I want to congratulate him because he is unique. When he is playing well, Real Madrid are a different team."

A header after just 10 minutes set Real on the path to victory, and he added two more as the second half wore on with a powerful half-volley into the top corner and a close-range finish after good work by Lucas Vazquez on the right.

ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan reflected on Ronaldo's outstanding form in recent Champions League games:

The 32-year-old has scored eight goals in his last three European matches, bagging five across the two quarter-final legs with Bayern Munich.

La Liga writer Andrew Gaffney noted the way Ronaldo has defied his critics with such performances:

With Tuesday's outing, Ronaldo has all but fired his team into their third Champions League final in four years, and should they make it they will most likely be favourites regardless of who they play.

If he can show similar form domestically, he might also be on the verge of winning just his second La Liga title in eight seasons in the Spanish capital.