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.
The 40-year-old forward scored his 953rd goal for club and country during a 3-1 win over Neom in the Saudi Pro League, yet it was his heated confrontation with the referee at half-time that drew as much attention as the strike itself.
Ronaldo, who has enjoyed a prolific start to the season with 10 goals in 11 matches, appeared visibly frustrated as players made their way off the pitch with the score at 0-0.
The Portugal captain approached referee Abdullah Al Shehri and delivered a pointed and sarcastic verbal rebuke.
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Broadcast cameras captured him saying: “Well done, well done. Keep going like that, you’re doing a good game, very good game you do.”
The tone made clear that he strongly disagreed with decisions made during the first half, although the specific incident that triggered the exchange was not apparent.
The second half immediately shifted in Al-Nassr’s favour. Angelo Gabriel broke the deadlock within two minutes of the restart, capitalising on defensive hesitation to slide the ball home.
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
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Neom’s situation deteriorated further when Luciano Rodriguez received a red card for violent conduct, leaving the home side to chase the match with a man fewer.
Shortly afterwards, Ronaldo stepped up to take a penalty after a foul on Joao Felix and converted at the second time of asking, having missed an earlier chance from the spot.
His goal placed Al-Nassr firmly in control before Neom reduced the deficit late on through Ahmed Abdo Jaber. Any hope of a late comeback was short lived, however, as Felix restored the two-goal cushion almost immediately.
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The victory keeps Al-Nassr perfect in the league this season with eight wins from eight.
Their form has placed Ronaldo once again at the centre of discussion about the level and competitiveness of the Saudi Pro League.
Critics in Europe continue to argue that his goal tally is being inflated in a less demanding environment, yet the former Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward remains firm in his view that the league is stronger than commonly portrayed.
In a recent interview, Ronaldo defended both the standard of play and the difficulty of performing in extreme conditions.
“I don’t need to speak, because they can say whatever they want, the numbers don’t lie,” he said.
“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.
Cristiano Ronaldo poses for a picture after scoring for Al-Nassr in their Saudi Pro League win
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“And 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. Premier League is good of course, it’s the number one.”
He added: “Listen, I’ve played everywhere, for me, it’s easier to score in Spain than to score in Saudi.
“If I played in the Premier League now, in a top team, I would score the same.”
Ronaldo has long expressed his desire to reach 1,000 career goals, a feat no professional player has recorded at the elite level. With his current form showing little sign of decline, the pursuit remains active and increasingly plausible.