Watch 30 Cristiano Ronaldo goals

FIFA Ballon d'Or holder, Real Madrid CF talisman and owner of more records than he knows what to do with – what to get a man like Cristiano Ronaldo for his 30th birthday?

Though Ronaldo enters his fourth decade on Thursday, there is little sign of him slowing down – the Portugal forward continues to tick off the milestones by the day. UEFA.com celebrates his special anniversary by picking out a selection of facts and figures that mark him out as the exceptional talent he is.

1: First senior goal – on 7 October 2002 – came for Sporting Clube de Portugal in a Liga game against Moreirense FC; in a sign of things to come, he added a second.

2: Second-highest goalscorer in European Cup history – group stage to final – with 72 goals.

3: Most European Golden Shoe awards (a feat shared with Lionel Messi).

4: First Spanish-based player to hit more than a half-century of goals for four consecutive seasons (in all competitions, Europe included) – 2010/11–2013/14.

5: One of only five players to have won three or more Ballons d'Or.

6: Major international tournaments played at – three FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships.

7: Shirt number throughout most of his career.

8: Longest scoring run in successive UEFA Champions League matches (2013/14).

9: Joint-record for most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League group stage (2013/14).

10: First player to claim ten goals or more in three consecutive UEFA Champions League campaigns (2011/12–2013/14).

11: Age at which he joined Sporting.

12: Goals in his last 13 appearances for Portugal.

13: Seasons as a professional, during which time he has registered 463 goals for club and country.

14: Number of games between his first and second goals for Manchester United FC.

15: Successive months of scoring in every Liga home game, from October 2013 to January 2015.

16: European goals for Manchester United, from a career total of 73.

17: Record for most goals netted in a single European Cup season (2013/14).

18: Age at which he joined United from Sporting for a fee of around €17.5m in summer 2003.

19: First player to score against all 19 rival Spanish Liga clubs in a single campaign (2011/12).

20: First player to amass 20 Liga away goals in a season (2010/11).

21: His maiden UEFA Champions League triumph with United came on 21 May 2008.

22: Straight wins for Real Madrid in all competitions this term, during which time Ronaldo plundered 28 goals.

23: Record for most goals in UEFA European Championship games, qualifying and final tournaments combined.

24: His second UEFA Champions League title – Madrid's 'Décima' – came on 24 May 2014.

25: The age he said he feels when questioned after his latest Ballon d'Or success.

26: Liga goals scored in his first season at Madrid (2009/10).

27: Hat-tricks for Madrid, one away from Alfredo Di Stéfano's record.

28: Shirt number in his first senior campaign with Sporting.

29: The age at which he became Portugal's all-time leading marksman, surpassing Pauleta's haul of 47 with a brace in a friendly win against Cameroon in March 2014.

30: Years on the clock!