Cristiano Ronaldo moved another step closer to the historic 1,000-goal milestone after scoring his 979th career goal in Al-Nassr’s 2-1 victory over Abha in the Saudi Pro League on Wednesday.
The 41-year-old Portuguese superstar produced a trademark header to open the scoring and leave himself just 21 goals away from reaching four figures.
Ronaldo found the breakthrough in the 22nd minute after Angelo delivered a corner into the box. Rising above his marker, the Al-Nassr captain powered a downward header towards the far post, with the ball going in after striking the post.
Ronaldo gets closer to 1000 goal mark
The strike also marked Ronaldo’s 132nd goal for Al-Nassr since joining the Saudi Arabian club. More significantly, it took his official career tally to 979, putting him only 21 goals short of the 1,000-goal mark that he is chasing during the twilight of his remarkable career.
Al-Nassr doubled their advantage in the 58th minute when Abdullah Al-Hamdan found the net, but Abha pulled one back through Nabil Fekir in the 75th minute. Despite the late pressure, Al-Nassr held on to secure a 2-1 victory and bounce back from their previous 2-1 defeat to Al-Ittihad.
With 979 goals, Ronaldo’s countdown to 1,000 is now firmly underway. The Portuguese icon needs just 21 more strikes to reach the unprecedented landmark, adding another fascinating chapter to a career that has already established him among football’s greatest-ever goalscorers.