Ronaldo hits hat trick, reaches 985 career goals for Al Nassr
Photo: REUTERS
Reaching 1,000 career goals appears inevitable for Cristiano Ronaldo as he netted a 15-minute hat trick for Al Nassr, propelling his side to a 5-3 Saudi Pro League (SPL) victory over Al Kholood on Thursday and elevating his career goal tally to 985.
With the match locked at 2-2, Ronaldo struck in the 66th, 72nd, and 81st minutes to seal the win, moving within 15 goals of the historic 1,000-goal milestone. Following the contest, Ronaldo posted on social media, “Great win, great team performance. Happy to help with a hat-trick!”
Ronaldo stands as the leading goalscorer in soccer history, holding a 49-goal lead over second-placed Lionel Messi, who has 936 goals. The forward will likely continue adding to his record with Al Nassr this season alongside his ongoing international commitments with Portugal.
Earlier in the match, French forward Julien Domingues opened the scoring for Al Kholood in the 16th minute before Ângelo Gabriel equalized for Al Nassr. Sadio Mané then gave Al Nassr the lead, but Antoine Essomba leveled the score in first-half stoppage time before Ronaldo took charge.
The former Real Madrid star scored two close-range goals and headed home his third in between, completing his seventh career hat trick for Al Nassr since moving to Saudi Arabia in 2023.
Ronaldo now boasts 67 career hat tricks for club and country across all competitions, including 44 for Real Madrid, 10 for Portugal, seven for Al Nassr, three for Manchester United, and three for Juventus.
João Félix, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and Portugal teammate, delivered four assists on the night as Al Nassr maintained second place in the SPL standings with 28 points.
