Cristiano Ronaldo moved to within 15 goals of 1,000 in his career on Thursday, October 29, 2026, scoring a 15-minute second-half hat-trick as Al Nassr beat Al Kholood 5-3 in the Saudi Pro League at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh. With the score tied 2-2, Ronaldo scored in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes to seal the win and leave himself just 15 goals shy of 1,000.
The treble took the 41-year-old Portugal forward to 985 career goals for club and country. It was his 67th career hat-trick, and his seventh for Al Nassr since he moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023. It was also his first hat-trick for the Riyadh club since May 2024, ending a wait of more than two years for another three-goal game in Al Nassr colours.
Key Takeaways
- Ronaldo scored in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes as Al Nassr beat Al Kholood 5-3 on October 29, 2026.
- The hat-trick took his career tally to 985 goals, leaving him 15 short of the 1,000-goal mark.
- It was his 67th career hat-trick and his seventh for Al Nassr, and it kept his side firmly in the Saudi Pro League title race.
How the Match Turned
The match had looked anything but comfortable for the home side. Al Kholood took the lead in the 16th minute through Julien Domingues, before Ângelo levelled for Al Nassr in the 24th minute and Sadio Mané put the hosts ahead in the 38th minute. Al Kholood hit back again before half-time, with Antoine Loic Essomba Bikoula scoring in the second minute of stoppage time to make it 2-2 at the break.
That was the score when Ronaldo took over. Al Nassr had already seen two of his earlier efforts ruled out for offside, according to match reports, but the second half belonged to the veteran forward. In the space of 15 minutes, a game that had swung back and forth became a comfortable home win, and a personal milestone moved suddenly much closer.
The Three Goals in 15 Minutes
Ronaldo opened his account in the 66th minute, timing his run to meet a cutback from his Portugal team-mate João Félix for a close-range finish. Six minutes later, Félix was the provider again, delivering a lofted cross to the far post for Ronaldo to head home. The hat-trick was completed in the 81st minute, when Mané squared the ball for Ronaldo to finish from close range after a break in transition.
Félix finished the night with four assists, a remarkable contribution in itself, but it was Ronaldo’s finishing that decided the match. By the time the third goal went in, Al Nassr led 5-2, and although Domingues converted a stoppage-time penalty to make the final score 5-3, the result was no longer in doubt.
With the score tied 2-2, Ronaldo scored in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes to seal the win and leave himself just 15 goals shy of 1,000.
- Al Nassr 5-3 Al Kholood, Saudi Pro League, Matchday 12, Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, October 29, 2026.
- Al Nassr scorers: Ângelo (24), Mané (38), Ronaldo (66, 72, 81).
- Al Kholood scorers: Domingues (16, 90+4 penalty), Essomba Bikoula (45+2).
- Ronaldo’s career tally after the match: 985 goals, 15 short of 1,000.
- Hat-trick number 67 of his career; his seventh for Al Nassr.
- Al Nassr moved to 28 points from 11 league matches.
What 985 Goals Means
The numbers behind the milestone underline the scale of Ronaldo’s longevity. His 67 career hat-tricks are spread across his clubs and his country: 44 for Real Madrid, 10 for Portugal, seven for Al Nassr, three for Manchester United and three for Juventus. He is already the leading goalscorer in men’s football history, 49 goals ahead of second-placed Lionel Messi, who has 936, according to the career totals reported after the match.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, first spoke publicly about reaching 1,000 goals in a 2024 interview, when he had 899. At 41, and still scoring in bursts like this one, the target that once sounded distant is now a matter of 15 more goals. If he reaches it, he would be the first player to score 1,000 goals in official senior matches, although Pelé is recognised by Guinness World Records as having scored 1,279 career goals in 1,363 games, many of them in exhibition matches.
The victory also mattered for Al Nassr’s season. The win took the club to 28 points from 11 matches and kept them firmly in the title race, after a match in which they had twice let a lead slip before Ronaldo’s burst settled it. For a side chasing the championship, a win earned in that fashion, by their captain, carries weight beyond the three points.
What to Watch Next
What to watch next is simply what this match has set up: whether Ronaldo’s next 15 goals arrive quickly enough to bring up 1,000 during this season, whether he continues to score them for Al Nassr and for Portugal, and whether Al Nassr can turn a win like this into a sustained title challenge. Until then, the picture is the one the numbers already show: 985 goals, a 15-minute hat-trick, and a milestone that is now 15 goals away.