Cristiano Ronaldo closing in on incredible milestone after scoring in Al-Nassr’s opening game of the season against Al-Taawoun
Cristiano Ronaldo is close to reaching another goalscoring milestone after he scored for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final on Wednesday, August 14. He helped them beat Al-Taawoun 2-0 to reach the final.
Ronaldo had a tough UEFA Euro 2024 with Portugal, as he registered just one assist in five games in the tournament. A Selecao were eliminated in the quarter-finals, losing on penalties against France. He has been on break ever since and only returned to Al-Nassr recently.
His first game back was their Saudi Super Cup semi-final against Al-Taawoun on Wednesday. Ayman Yahya gave them the lead in the eighth minute before Cristiano Ronaldo made it 2-0 in the 57th minute. Marcelo Brozovic was sent off in the third minute of stoppage time.
Regardless, the goal was Cristiano Ronaldo's 896th for club and country over the years. He is just four goals away from reaching the incredible 900-goal milestone and will become the only person to reach it. He is the all-time top scorer in football.
The veteran will hope to get closer to that milestone when Al-Nassr take on Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup final on Saturday, August 17. The Knights of Njad lost against Al-Hilal in the King Cup of Champions final earlier this year and will be keen to get some revenge.
Rio Ferdinand shares his thoughts on potential Cristiano Ronaldo retirement
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely considered one of the two greatest players of all time with Lionel Messi. However, the 39-year-old is closer to the end of his career now. He left European football in 2022 after parting ways with Manchester United and joined Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo also announced that the Euro 2024 was his final appearance in the tournament and he won't play in the 2028 edition. He hasn't retired though and there has been speculation about when he will hang up his boots. However, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes the Portuguese can play up to three more years. He said in a video on X:
"I can't give too much away, but I've been doing a few bits with Cristiano behind the scenes, and he's playing as long as he wants. He ain't going nowhere, and I was godsmacked, and listen you'll see it in time, but minimum three years, I think, he plays for again."
Rio Ferdinand shared the pitch 210 times with Cristiano Ronaldo during their time together at Manchester United as they won numerous trophies.