Portugal’s Football Federation celebrated Cristiano Ronaldo after achieving the enviable feat of 980 career goals. Photos by Octavio Passos and Abdullah Ahmed.
The goal arrived at a charged moment in the 41-year-old’s career. During the international break, Ronaldo departed the Portugal squad before their UEFA Nations League fixture against Denmark, with reports indicating the exit stemmed from disagreements with new head coach Jorge Jesus over his role and playing time.
The incident drew significant attention, and Ronaldo subsequently issued a public statement in which he apologised for his departure while affirming his dedication to the national side.
Back at club level, he wasted no time making his mark. In the 23rd minute against Al-Diriyah, Ronaldo reacted sharply to a rebound after Kingsley Coman’s effort was parried, tapping home to open the scoring.
Coman and Samu Costa added further goals to wrap up a comfortable result for Al-Nassr.
The finish extended Ronaldo’s extraordinary career tally to 980 goals, positioning him just 20 short of the 1,000-goal mark he has been openly pursuing.
Before the international break, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner discussed that ambition publicly, describing reaching four figures as a significant personal objective while noting that his enjoyment of the game and his contributions to the team remained equally important to him.
Portugal’s acknowledgement of the feat underlines Ronaldo’s continued standing as the country’s all-time record scorer, a status that persists even as scrutiny of his conduct during the recent camp episode continues.