Cristiano Ronaldo headed in the 982nd goal of his career as Al Nassr beat Al Faisaly 3-1 in the Saudi Pro League on 23 October 2026, then handed his player-of-the-match award to teammate Abdullah Al-Hamdan, VnExpress reported. The 41-year-old declined the prize and walked over to give it to Al-Hamdan, who was involved in two of Al Nassr's three goals. It was Ronaldo's first goal since the Portuguese Football Federation suspended him.
How the match unfolded
Al Nassr played away at the Majmaah Sports City. Coach Ange Postecoglou picked Al-Hamdan ahead of Angelo, and the forward repaid him almost at once. The key moments, combined from VnExpress and Tuổi Trẻ:
| Minute | Moment | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Al-Hamdan opens the scoring, set up by Sadio Mané | Tuổi Trẻ |
| 32 | Ronaldo hits the post with a left-footed shot | Tuổi Trẻ |
| 49 | Ronaldo heads in a João Félix free kick to make it 2-0 | VnExpress, Tuổi Trẻ |
| 52 | Ronaldo turns the ball in, but VAR rules the build-up offside | VnExpress, Tuổi Trẻ |
| 66 | Theo Bongonda heads in from Mohammed Al-Shanqiti's pass to make it 1-2 | Tuổi Trẻ |
| 76 | Ronaldo's header is saved by the Al Faisaly goalkeeper | Tuổi Trẻ |
| 79 | Angelo, on the pitch for 12 minutes, seals the 3-1 win from Al-Hamdan's pass | Tuổi Trẻ |
The header was disputed because the ball appeared to touch an Al Faisaly defender rather than Ronaldo, but the league still credited the Al Nassr captain, according to VnExpress. Ronaldo played all 90 minutes, with 23 touches, 73% passing accuracy and three shots. His gesture towards Al-Hamdan, a handshake, a chat and a photo together, was widely praised by fans on social media.
A turbulent fortnight
Tuổi Trẻ described the previous two weeks as extremely difficult for Ronaldo. The timeline, as compiled by KBVN+:
- Early October: Ronaldo left the Portugal camp without permission after a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus (VnExpress) and drew heavy criticism for how he handled the fallout (Tuổi Trẻ).
- Earlier this week: The Portuguese federation banned him for 30 days and fined him (VnExpress).
- Meanwhile: Several Saudi Pro League matches were postponed because of tension in the Middle East, costing him chances to score (Tuổi Trẻ).
- Three days before Al Faisaly: He missed a penalty in a 1-0 win over Neom, rescued by a João Félix goal (Tuổi Trẻ).
- 23 October: Career goal 982.
On the same day, SGGP, citing talkSPORT and the Forbes list, reported that Ronaldo has become the first footballer to pass 2 billion USD in career earnings, six years after he became the first to pass 1 billion USD. He and Messi occupy the top two places for the 12th time in 13 years.
The numbers
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Career goals | 982, 18 short of 1,000 | VnExpress, Tuổi Trẻ |
| Goals this season | 6 (5 in the Saudi Pro League, 1 in the AFC Champions League) | VnExpress |
| Different Saudi Pro League opponents scored against | 25, passing Nasser Al-Shamrani (24) | Opta, via VnExpress |
| Al Nassr after 10 matches | 25 points, 8 wins | VnExpress, Tuổi Trẻ |
Per Opta data quoted by VnExpress, Al Faisaly were the 25th different Saudi Pro League side Ronaldo has scored against, leaving only Salem Al-Dawsari and Omar Al-Somah (27 each) and Abderrazak Hamdallah (26) ahead of him. In the table, Al Nassr were third on 22 points before kick-off, 3 points behind leaders Al Qadsiah, according to Tuổi Trẻ. They now have 25 points, level with Al Qadsiah but second on the tiebreaker, while Al Hilal are third on 24 points with a game in hand, VnExpress reported.
What's next
Al Nassr return home on 26 October to face Al Wasl of the UAE on the third matchday of the AFC Champions League league phase. Ronaldo needs 18 more goals to reach 1,000. For more on his off-field milestone, read our story on Ronaldo, Messi and the Forbes earnings list.