976 plus one! Ronaldo opens his season account and edges closer to the magic thousand
Cristiano Ronaldo needed just one game of the new season to restart the most famous countdown in football.
Details: Cristiano Ronaldo has scored his 977th career goal in his first match of the season, finding the net for Al-Nassr against Al-Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League. The Portuguese superstar, who skipped the opening round win over Al-Fateh, helped the defending champions cruise to a big away victory.
Ronaldo, now 41, watched from the stands a week ago as Ange Postecoglou's side opened their title defense with a 3:0 win, and returned tonight to do what he does best. The strike keeps him on course for the milestone he has publicly chased for years: 1,000 official career goals, a number no player has ever reached.
The Portuguese now needs just 23 more goals for immortality, with 830 scored at club level and 146 for Portugal across more than 1,300 appearances. It's worth noting that last season Ronaldo finally lifted his first Saudi Pro League trophy, and at this scoring rate the magic thousand could fall as early as spring 2027.
Reminder: Unexpected twist! Premier League star striker agrees terms with Saudi giants.
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
