Cristiano Ronaldo accelerates, scores again with Al Nassr and closes in on 1,000: and will Messi keep up?
The Portuguese player scored with a header in Al Nassr’s 2-1 victory over Abha on the sixth matchday of the Saudi League. At 41 years old, he now has 979 goals in his professional career.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored again this Wednesday for Al Nassr. The Portuguese opened the scoring in the 2-1 win over Abha on matchday six of the Saudi Pro League , bringing his official-match goal tally to 979. He is 21 goals away from reaching 1,000.
The goal came paradoxically in the 21st minute, when Ronaldo appeared in the box to head in a corner taken by Ângelo. The finish opened up a match that Al Nassr ended up winning with a second goal from Abdullah Al-Hamdan.
CR7 vs. Messi and the race for 1,000 goals
Ronaldo is just 21 goals away from reaching the 1,000 he has set as his target, despite already being the top scorer in football history. His closest pursuer remains Lionel Messi, with 927, who was also recently nominated among the 30 candidates for the Ballon d'Or.
The Portuguese star had just scored in his team’s victory, confirmed his scoring form, and now has three goals in the current Saudi Pro League season, where he has totaled 131 goals since his arrival on the Asian continent in 2022.
Most of the Portuguese star's goals came during his time at Real Madrid, where he scored 451. Next come the Portugal national team, with 146; Manchester United, with 145; Al Nassr, with 131; Juventus, with 101; and Sporting CP, with the five goals with which he began his professional career. In total, he has 979 and is 21 away from reaching 1,000.
Al Nassr regains victory in the Saudi League
Against Abha , Ronaldo also had other chances to add to his tally. In the first half, one of his shots hit the post and, shortly afterward, a second opportunity was cleared off the goal line.
Al-Hamdan doubled the lead in the 58th minute, but Abha responded and Nabil Fekir pulled one back in the 75th with a direct free-kick. The visiting side searched for an equalizer during the final minutes, although Al Nassr managed to hold on to the 2-1 lead.
The victory allowed the team managed by Ange Postecoglou to reach 15 points after six matchdays. Al Nassr remained level at the top of the standings with Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah.
Ronaldo's next numerical target is therefore perfectly defined: he needs 21 more goals to reach the target. Al Nassr will continue its schedule between the Saudi League and Asian competitions, while the Portuguese striker keeps increasing his tally at 41 years of age.
Without a doubt, the race to 1000 will be the final great chapter of a rivalry that defined more than two decades of the sport.
