Cristiano Ronaldo continued his remarkable goalscoring journey on Thursday, netting a hat-trick as Al Nassr defeated Al Kholood 5-3 to take his reported career tally to 985 goals.
The Portugal captain scored three times in the second half, finding the net in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes to complete his treble and move 15 goals away from the historic 1,000-goal mark.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s latest achievement further underlines his longevity and remarkable consistency, having continued to score regularly despite being in the latter stages of his playing career.
Al Nassr had to work hard for the victory after Al Kholood took the lead through Dominguez in the 16th minute.
Angelo Gabriel restored parity for the visitors before Sadio Mane put Al Nassr ahead in the 38th minute. However, Essomba struck to bring Al Kholood level again before the interval.
Ronaldo then took charge after the break, scoring three goals in 15 minutes to give Al Nassr control of the encounter.
Dominguez converted a penalty in the 94th minute to complete his brace, but his effort was not enough to prevent Al Kholood from suffering defeat.
The victory lifted Al Nassr to second place in the Saudi Pro League standings, level on points with the leaders but behind on goal difference, according to the report.
Ronaldo’s pursuit of 1,000 career goals remains one of the major talking points in world football. Having built his legacy through prolific spells at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus before joining Al Nassr, the Portuguese forward continues to add to a goalscoring record that has placed him among the sport’s most celebrated players.