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Former Manchester United forward, Cristiano Ronaldo has reached a new milestone after scoring four sensational goals for Al-Nassr when they played Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday night.
The veteran striker, 38, only managed one goal (penalty) in his first three competitive appearances for the club he joined at the end of December. But found his form against Al-Wehda, scoring in the 21st, 40th, 53rd and 61st minutes to reach and then surpass 500 career league goals.
The Portugal captain’s first goal was a powerful, left-footed finish across the goalkeeper after he was played in down the channel.
Ronaldo showed his poacher’s instincts to score his second, too, as he raced in behind to latch onto a through-ball and finish under Abdulquddus Atiah.
His third came early in the second half when he scored from the penalty spot, and a fourth was added just after the hour mark to reach 503 league goals after the goalkeeper could only paw his tame shot back into his path to slide the ball into the empty net.
Ronaldo’s goals set Al-Nassr on a path to a much-needed victory as they push for another league title. The Middle Eastern giants have endured a patch of mixed form since signing the superstar on a contract worth £173 million per year.
They drew two of their last three league games ahead of the fixture against Al-Wehda and were knocked out of the Saudi Super Cup by Al-Ittihad, depriving Ronaldo of a shot at an early piece of silverware.
These results invited Al-Shabab back into the title race, but Ronaldo’s goals on Thursday night saw Al-Nassr leapfrog their rivals, over whom they also have a game in hand.
Ronaldo’s 503 career league goals:
a). 3 – Primeira Liga for Sporting Lisbon
b). 84 – Premier League for Manchester United,
c). 311 – La Liga for Real Madrid
d). 81 – Serie A for Juventus
e). 18 – Premier League for Manchester United
f). 5 – Saudi Pro League for Al Nassr
His overall tally of 503 means he is only behind Pele (604), Romario (544), Josef Bican (518) and Ferenc Puskas (514) on the all-time list of league goalscorers.