“Might force Messi to retire at age 50”, “GOAT for a reason” - Fans left stunned as Cristiano Ronaldo nets hat-trick in 5-1 Al-Nassr win
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) are hailing Cristiano Ronaldo and drawing comparisons with Lionel Messi after the Al-Nassr superstar scored a hat-trick against Al-Tai on Saturday, March 30,
Al-Alami bagged a 5-1 home SPL win. Otavio gave the hosts a 20th-minute lead before Virgil Misidjan scored in the 22nd minute. Misidjan, though, was sent off in the 36th minute and Abdulrahman Ghareeb restored the lead for Luis Castro's side in first half injury time (45+7').
Ronaldo turned up the heat in the second half, scoring a hat-trick (64', 67', 87'). His first goal came from a sumptuous first-time hit on a Sadio Mane cross. A predatory second goal was followed by a text book header to round-off the Portugal captain's 64th career hat-trick. He has now scored a whopping 882 career goals.
Al-Nassr now have 59 points from 25 matches and are second in the SPL table, 12 points behind Al-Hilal. Their star man, Ronaldo, earned plaudits for his display as one of the fans wrote on X:
"Cristiano Ronaldo might force Messi to retire at age 50."
Another fan commented:
"Cristiano Ronaldo scoring two goals under three minutes at the age of 39 is an insane feet. GOAT for a reason."
Ronaldo has now scored 33 goals and has provided 11 assists in 34 matches across competitions this season. He has scored 26 goals and has provided nine assists in 23 league matches and is the SPL's top scorer this season. Here are some of the best fan reactions on X after his latest display:
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi going strong in the twilight of their careers
Ronaldo has been wreaking havoc for Al-Nassr this season and has also turned up with some majestic performances for Portugal during the 2024 UEFA Euro qualifiers. He scored 10 goals and provided two assists as the Selecaos progressed with a perfect record.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has also started the season with Inter Miami in an impressive manner. The Argentina captain has scored five goals and has provided two assists in five appearances this term.
Both superstars are at the tail end of their respective careers as Ronaldo is now 39 and Messi will be 37 in June. Their numbers, though, remain ever impressive.