Cristiano Ronaldo scores 953rd career goal in Al-Nassr win
Cristiano Ronaldo moved a step closer to his long-stated ambition of scoring 1,000 career goals on Saturday, but the landmark victory for Al-Nassr was not without controversy, reports BritPanorama.
The 40-year-old forward scored during a 3-1 win over Neom in the Saudi Pro League, yet his heated confrontation with the referee at half-time drew as much attention as the goal itself. Ronaldo, who has enjoyed a prolific start to the season with 10 goals in 11 matches, appeared visibly frustrated as players left the pitch with the score at 0-0.
Approaching referee Abdullah Al Shehri, the Portugal captain delivered a pointed and sarcastic verbal rebuke, saying, “Well done, well done. Keep going like that, you’re doing a good game, very good game you do.” The exact incident that prompted the exchange was not clear, although it was evident that he strongly disagreed with some first-half decisions.
The second half saw Al-Nassr shift momentum, with Angelo Gabriel scoring within two minutes of the restart, taking advantage of defensive hesitation to break the deadlock. Neom’s situation worsened when Luciano Rodriguez received a red card for violent conduct, leaving them a man down.
Ronaldo later took a penalty after a foul on Joao Felix, converting it successfully after an earlier miss. His goal strengthened Al-Nassr’s position, although Neom did manage to reduce the deficit late through Ahmed Abdo Jaber. However, Felix quickly restored the two-goal lead for Al-Nassr.
This victory keeps Al-Nassr perfect in the league this season, with eight wins from eight matches. Ronaldo’s form has reignited discussions about the competitiveness of the Saudi Pro League. Critics in Europe argue that his goal tally is benefitting from a less demanding environment, yet the former Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus forward insists that the league is stronger than it is commonly portrayed.
In a recent interview, Ronaldo defended both the standard of play and the challenge of performing under extreme conditions. “I don’t need to speak, because they can say whatever they want, the numbers don’t lie,” he stated. “They can say ‘oh, it’s the Saudi league’ but they’ve never been here, played here, they don’t know how to run in 40 degrees.”
He further claimed, “I still continue, I repeat, the Saudi league, it’s much better than the Portuguese league of course, the French league there is only PSG. The Premier League is good of course, it’s the number one.” Ronaldo added, “If I played in the Premier League now, in a top team, I would score the same.”
With his current form showing little sign of decline, Ronaldo’s pursuit of 1,000 career goals remains active and increasingly plausible, a feat that no professional player has achieved at the elite level.
In a world where legends are often under scrutiny, Ronaldo’s unyielding drive resonates amid the complexity of modern football, highlighting how even the greatest athletes navigate the pressures and whims of sport.
