Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at his early-season critics after becoming the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

The Real Madrid forward scored three times in his side's 4-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, which moved him onto 80 European goals – three clear of Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

The 30-year-old failed to score in his first two games of the season for Los Blancos, but has since hit eight in his last two.

The Portuguese has jokingly claimed that he is now 'good again' after overcoming a supposedly "bad" start to the season.

"I'm content. It's an honour to be in this position. I have to thank the team, who help me a lot," AS quotes Ronaldo as saying.

"I don't know... I was bad before, and now I'm good because I've scored eight goals. My teammates have confidence in me. The give me assists and I score from their assists. I'm very happy. I'm thankful to the players for the confidence they have given me."

Messi will have the chance to gain ground on Ronaldo in the scoring charts when Barcelona face Roma on Wednesday evening.