Riyadh: Cristiano Ronaldo moved another step closer to the remarkable milestone of 1,000 career goals after producing a sensational 15-minute hat-trick to guide Al Nassr to a 5-3 victory over Al Kholood in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday.
The Portuguese superstar struck three times in the second half, taking his extraordinary career goal tally to 985 and leaving him just 15 goals short of becoming the first footballer to reach the 1,000-goal mark in official senior matches.
With the contest evenly poised at 2-2, Ronaldo took charge of proceedings, finding the net in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes to complete his hat-trick and secure all three points for Al Nassr.
The 40-year-old’s latest treble was his seventh for the Saudi Arabian club since joining in 2023, further extending his remarkable scoring record across a career spanning more than two decades.
Ronaldo’s career tally of 985 goals keeps him ahead of long-time rival Lionel Messi, who stands on 936 goals, giving the Portuguese forward a 49-goal advantage in the all-time scoring race.
His latest hat-trick also took his overall tally of career trebles to 67 across club and international football. These include 44 for Real Madrid, 10 for Portugal, seven for Al Nassr, three for Manchester United and three for Juventus.
Al Nassr’s victory came after an entertaining first half in which Julien Domingues gave Al Kholood the lead in the 16th minute. Ângelo Gabriel restored parity for the visitors before Sadio Mané put Al Nassr ahead. Antoine Essomba, however, scored in first-half stoppage time to make it 2-2.
Ronaldo then took centre stage after the break, delivering the decisive contribution in a commanding second-half performance.
João Félix was another standout performer, providing four assists as Al Nassr collected an important victory to remain second in the Saudi Pro League standings with 28 points.
Following the match, Ronaldo celebrated the result on social media, writing: “Great win, great team performance. Happy to help with a hat-trick!”
With the season still underway and international commitments with Portugal also ahead, Ronaldo has further opportunities to close the remaining gap. At his current pace, the long-anticipated 1,000-goal milestone is increasingly within reach.
