Cristiano Ronaldo struck in Al Nassr’s 3‑0 victory over Al Diriyah on Friday, Oct 9, his first game after exiting the Portugal camp. The tally marked his 980th career goal, yet the Saudi Pro League leaderboard still leaves him far behind. Can he close the gap?
Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 23rd minute at Al-Awwal Park, seizing a rebound after keeper Waleed Abdullah could only parry Kingsley Coman‘s powerful shot. Samu Costa doubled the lead in the 35th minute with a header from a Joao Felix corner, and Coman sealed the win in the 77th minute.
The match carried extra weight after Ronaldo’s recent fallout with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus. Home supporters voiced their support before kickoff, chanting his name and hoisting a banner, and he answered with the opener.
The victory lifts Al Nassr to 19 points, matching leaders Al Qadsiah but trailing on goal difference. A win for Al Hilal or Al Ittihad on Saturday, October 10 could reshuffle the top spots. In my view, Ronaldo’s presence still outweighs his current goal tally.
Golden Boot still out of reach
The scoring chart shows a sizable gap to bridge. Ivan Toney tops the Saudi Pro League with 11 goals in eight games, a comfortable lead. Francisco Trincão, Mateo Retegui and Alexandre Lacazette each sit on five.
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Further down, Ronaldo is listed with four goals in seven appearances, leaving him well behind the table leader. He shares the four‑goal mark with several others, tightening the Golden Boot chase.
Al Qadsiah’s Julián Quiñones, Al Ittihad’s George Ilenikhena, Steven Bergwijn and Youssef En‑Nesyri, plus Al Hilal’s Sergej Milinković‑Savić sit level with him, crowding the race behind Toney. At 41, Ronaldo needs a prolific spell to narrow the gap, and Toney’s pace is tough to match.