The three-goal performance brought Ronaldo closer to the historic milestone of 1,000 career goals. According to tallies cited by journalists, his professional career goal count has now reached 985.
The match, played at Al-Awwal Park during the 12th round of the Saudi Pro League, was Ronaldo’s first appearance since receiving the 'Ballon d'Or of All Time' award.
Ronaldo began his scoring contribution in the 66th minute, converting a pass from teammate João Félix to give Al-Nassr a 3-2 lead. Six minutes later, he scored again, with Félix providing the assist.
The Portuguese forward completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute after receiving a pass from Sadio Mané, helping Al-Nassr secure the 5-3 victory.
Golden Boot Race Remains Competitive
Following the hat-trick, official Saudi Pro League statistics credited Ronaldo with seven goals in the current season.
He shares that tally with Mateo Retegui and Youssef En-Nesyri. Tijjani Reijnders occupies second place with eight goals, while English forward Ivan Toney leads the scoring chart with 12.
However, Ronaldo has played 10 matches, one more than Toney, who has appeared in nine games.
If Ronaldo's goal against Al-Faisaly on October 23 were included, his season tally would rise to eight, putting him level with Reijnders. Under that calculation, Toney's total would also increase to 13, maintaining a five-goal gap between the two forwards.
Disputed Goal Creates Statistical Debate
The difference in Ronaldo's goal tally stems from a disputed goal during Al-Nassr's 3-1 victory over Al-Faisaly on October 23.
Ronaldo headed the ball into the net following a free-kick delivered by João Félix. However, video replays appeared to show the ball deflecting off Al-Nassr defender Andrei Girotto before crossing the goal line.
As a result, Saudi Pro League authorities recorded the incident as an own goal rather than crediting it to Ronaldo.
A similar situation occurred with Ivan Toney during Al-Ahli's 4-1 victory over Al-Khaleej. His headed effort was initially credited to him after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review but was subsequently reclassified as an own goal.
Neither the official Saudi Pro League website nor statistics-based platforms such as Transfermarkt have included the disputed goals in Ronaldo's or Toney's official scoring records.
Nevertheless, some journalists, including Fabrizio Romano, have counted the goals in their own calculations. Based on those figures, Ronaldo's career tally following his latest hat-trick stands at 985.
Until the relevant statistical records are updated, differences over the disputed goals are likely to continue affecting discussions surrounding the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot race and Ronaldo's pursuit of the 1,000-goal milestone.
END/SMA/AJ
