On This Day: Ronaldo surpasses Best's best record; Milan legend Nesta was born

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (March 19th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, feel free to post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!

On this day in 2008, Ronaldo scored both goals in Man Utd's 2-0 win to pass George Best on the club's ranking for most goals in a single season

The match was Ronaldo's first as captain, in the absence of regular skippers Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, and Rio Ferdinand, and he responded to the challenge well. His first goal came in just the ninth minute as he volleyed a corner kick past Bolton keeper Ali Al Habsi and his second followed just eleven minutes later. After being fouled by Bolton's Abdoulaye Méité in the 20th minute, Ronaldo delivered a stunningly precise free kick that easily beat Al Habsi.

That second goal was Ronaldo's 33rd goal of the season in all competitions, surpassing Best's best tally of 32, set in 1967-68. He finished the year with a total of 42, only four behind Denis Law's club record of 46 in 1963-64.

The win put United three points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table, where they would remain for the rest of the season to claim their 18th league title.

On this day in 1976, four-time Serie A Defender of the Year Nesta was born

He started his career at Lazio, joining their youth academy in 1985. They tried him at striker and midfielder before establishing him at center back. In 1993, he signed a professional contract and became an established starter during the 1995-96 season, making a total of 28 appearances.

By 1997, he had become Lazio's captain and led the team to the 1998 Coppa Italia, followed by the 1999 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In 2000, he won a second Coppa Italia that was paired with the club's first league title since 1974. That season also saw him win the first of four consecutive Serie A Defender of the Year awards.

In the summer of 2002, he moved to AC Milan in a deal worth €31M. In ten seasons there, he won another pair of Scudettos (2004, 2011), a Coppa Italia (2003), two Champions League titles (2003, 2007), and the FIFA Club World Cup (2007).

On this day in 1995,  Arsenal RB Hector Bellerin was born

Bellerín started his career as an attacking winger for Barcelona, and credits his development as a successful right back to Steve Bould upon his arrival at Arsenal in the summer of 2011. His speedy pace, skilful dribbling on the ball, and crossing ability have also helped him in creating chances for his team. On 21 November 2016, he signed a long-term contract that ties him to the club until 2022.

Bellerín is known for his pace, which allows him to take on opposition defenders as well as provide defensive cover. At the beginning of the 2014–15 season, he broke Theo Walcott's 40-metre Arsenal sprint record by 1/100th of a second. He is considered to be one of the fastest footballers in the world. Like teammates Sead Kolasinac and Nacho Monreal, he has received more praise for his attacking abilities, and in the 2018-19 season, Unai Emery has often employed him as a wing-back.

On this day in 1981, Former Arsenal, Liverpool & City star Kolo Toure was born

Toure played as a defender for Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Celtic and the Ivory Coast national team. He is currently a first team coach at Leicester City as well as a member of the coaching staff for the Ivory Coast.

Touré moved to Arsenal in 2002, where he made 326 appearances for the club and was a member of the 03–04 'invincibles' side. In 2009, he moved to Manchester City, where he was joined a year later by his younger brother Yaya Touré, helping City earn its first league title in 44 years. In 2013 Touré transferred to Liverpool. He is one of the eight players who have won the Premier League with two clubs, having won it with Manchester City and Arsenal.

Touré is the second-most capped player for the Ivory Coast, with 120 appearances from 2000 to 2015. He represented the team at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup tournaments.