Ronaldo en route to new Premier League goalscoring record after Man Utd return

There was something of an inevitability about Cristiano Ronaldo's brace on his return to Premier League football last weekend.

Ronaldo struck twice as Manchester United saw off Newcastle amid a wave of nostalgia at Old Trafford, where the Portuguese had returned after 12 years away from the club.

His goals saw him added to a list of the oldest scorers in Premier League history, with some 54 players having scored in the competition after turning 36.

But Ronaldo wouldn't be Ronaldo if he thought just joining that group was enough, and he'll now be eyeing a place at the very top of the list.

Ronaldo scored twice on his return to the Premier League ( Image:

REUTERS)

Of that list of 54, there are only four players who have managed to hit double figures after they turned 36, with Ryan Giggs and Peter Crouch both just missing out as they hit nine.

Other names to have scored in the Premier League after that age include Frank Lampard (6), Paul Scholes (5), Didier Drogba and Dennis Bergkamp (4), but Ronaldo will already be thinking of scoring many more than those greats.

He'll have the top spot in his mind, and to get there he'll have to get past this lot.

The PA news agency take a look at the players with the most Premier League goals after their 36th birthday.

Teddy Sheringham (32 goals for Tottenham, Portsmouth and West Ham)

Sheringham's final club of a long career was West Ham ( Image:

Getty Images)

The oldest outfield player and goalscorer of the Premier League era, having played at the top level until the age of 40, Sheringham is out on his own when it comes to the age bracket now occupied by Ronaldo.

He turned 36 late in the 2001-02 season and celebrated with a north London derby goal against Arsenal before adding further strikes against West Ham and Leicester - having also netted against Leeds the day on his last day as a 35-year-old.

He added another 12 goals for Tottenham the following season and nine for Portsmouth in 2003-04, before rounding out his Premier League career with eight goals across two seasons for the Hammers.

Les Ferdinand (15 goals for West Ham, Leicester and Bolton)

Ferdinand saw out his Premier League career at Bolton ( Image:

Action Images)

Best remembered for his prolific spells at QPR, Newcastle and Spurs, Ferdinand left the latter around six weeks after turning 36 and saw out his career with brief and largely forgettable spells at three other clubs.

An impressive 12-goal season with Leicester accounts for the bulk of his goals after that age, with two in his half-season at West Ham and one at Bolton.

Gianfranco Zola (14 goals for Chelsea)

Zola's most prolific Chelsea season was his final one ( Image:

Getty Images Sport)

The Italian, remarkably, enjoyed the most prolific campaign of his fondly remembered Chelsea career after turning 36 on the eve of the 2002-03 season.

His 14 goals included doubles against Manchester City and in a 3-2 win over Blackburn in which Chelsea twice came from behind, while an FA Cup brace against Shrewsbury made it 16 in all competitions before he headed home for a swansong with Cagliari.

Gary Speed (13 goals for Bolton)

Gary Speed scored 80 Premier League goals for his four clubs ( Image:

Daily Mirror)

The late Wales midfielder sits sixth in the all-time Premier League appearance list with 535 and scored 80 goals along the way for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton.

Just over one-sixth of those came after turning 36, including an eight-goal campaign in 2006-07 to help Wanderers finish seventh.

He finished his playing career with Sheffield United in the Championship, later managing the Blades and then Wales.