The Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo registered his 977th goal in his 25th professional season, as Al Nassr, who had been absent from Saudi Pro League action, returned to the stadium with a dominant 4-0 victory over Al Riyadh on Friday.
Portugal international was added to the bench for the first time since joining Al Nassr for the World Cup and he made his debut at the age of 41. Ronaldo had also been absent from the club’s first league win over Al Fateh and King’s Cup win over Al Diriyah.
Ronaldo came on in the 62nd minute, but Al Nassr wasn’t in charge yet. The game began with a goal from Abdulelah Al-Amri and then more goals to put the visitors up 3-0, from Angelo Gabriel and Joao Felix.
Ronaldo then scored the winning goal just seven minutes to go. Aiman Yahya’s low cross was saved by Ronaldo’s good foot and he then expertly dragged it back before finishing from eight yards.
Ronaldo’s current tally of 977 goals in his career brought him closer to the mammoth 1,000-goal target he is aiming for. It also extended his run of performances in which he has scored for Al Nassr to 130 goals across all competitions since he joined the Saudi club in December 2022.
Al Nassr coach Ange Postecoglou will be hoping that Ronaldo can help his team in their quest for major trophies this season. Ronaldo, who had started from the bench, had only 28 minutes to make his presence felt and bolster his fantastic goal tally.
Ronaldo’s return will provide Al Nassr with some extra attacking depth as they head into their Saudi Pro League campaign, while the team has already been winning straight-up in both competitions.
