Cristiano Ronaldo continued to prove why he is the greatest goal scorer in the history of football as the Portuguese guided Al-Nassr to a crucial 4-3 win against a star-studded Al-Ahli side at the KSU Football Field in Riyadh on Friday.
Ronaldo is still going strong at the age of 38. With nine goals and four assists, the Dark Invader, a nickname given to him by former footballer Ray Hudson, currently leads the goals and assists charts in the Saudi Pro League.
In an away smoky atmosphere, it was Al-Ahli who got smoked as Al-Nassr started the game on a high note courtesy of Ronaldo’s left-footed finish in the fourth minute of the game and then soon doubled their lead in the 17th minute with Talisca scoring one more to take his side to a dominant position.
Ronaldo scored one more goal in the 52nd minute of the game, taking his league goal tally to nine in just seven games.
But it was not the 38-year-old’s on-field brilliance that got noticed, but his celebration after the second goal. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner did the “Alardah” traditional Saudi dance celebration.
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Al-Ahli fielded a side with world-class players like Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Gabri Veiga, Frank Kessie, and Édouard Mendy but a brace from the Portuguese and Talisca was enough to seal the deal for Al-Nassr.
After having a poor start to the season, Al-Nassr bounced back and won five matches in a row. They are now in fifth position in the league with 15 points in seven games.
Last month, Ronaldo helped the Saudi club win the Arab Club Cup Champions by scoring two goals in a final against a star-studded Al-Hilal side.
It must be noted that Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr in January 2023 on a big-money contract opened the way to hundreds of footballers as we saw some of the biggest names like Karim Benzema, Neymar, Mahrez, Sadio Mane and others making their way to the Gulf country.
His move also helped in promoting football in the Middle East.
