Cristiano Ronaldo is now 15 goals away from 1,000. The Portugal captain scored a hat-trick in 15 minutes on Thursday night as Al Nassr beat Al Kholood 5-3 in the Saudi Pro League, and his career total now stands at 985.
Level at the break
The game did not start well for Al Nassr. Julien Domingues gave Al Kholood the lead in the 16th minute. Ângelo Gabriel equalised, and Sadio Mané then put Al Nassr in front before half-time.
Al Kholood hit back again in first-half stoppage time through Antoine Essomba, so the teams went in at 2-2.
Fifteen minutes of Ronaldo
The second half belonged to Ronaldo. He scored from close range in the 66th minute, then headed in his second six minutes later. In the 81st minute he finished from close range again to complete the hat-trick.
João Félix, who also plays with him for Portugal, had a busy night too and set up several of the goals, including Ronaldo’s first. Al Kholood scored a late penalty through Domingues, but it only made the final score 5-3.
After the game Ronaldo wrote on social media: “Great win, great team performance. Happy to help with a hat-trick!”
The road to 1,000
No player in the history of the game has scored more goals than Ronaldo. With 985, he is 49 ahead of Lionel Messi, who has 936.
Ronaldo turned 41 in February and is still scoring at a high rate. The 1,000 mark has been his target for a long time, and at this pace he could get there in the coming months.
The win also keeps Al Nassr second in the Saudi Pro League table.
Our take
Whatever people think of the Saudi Pro League, scoring three goals in 15 minutes at 41 is not normal. Ronaldo has always looked after his body and he still has the instinct to be in the right place in the box. Two of his goals came from close range, and that has been his strength for years.
The 1,000-goal mark now feels close. He scored goals for Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr and Portugal to get here, and he still wants more. The only question is when he gets there, and which game it will be.
When do you think Ronaldo will score goal number 1,000? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Cristiano Ronaldo by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Cristiano Ronaldo by YantsImages (CC BY-SA 4.0), João Félix by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Sadio Mané by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0).
