Ronaldo scores 979th career goal as Al Nassr beat Abha 2-1

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 979th career goal as Al Nassr bounced back from a recent loss to defeat Abha 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League on Wednesday at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh.

The defending champions quickly responded to their only defeat this season, which was a 2-1 loss to Al-Ittihad just four days earlier.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with his signature header.

He rose above his marker to connect with Ângelo’s corner near the six-yard box, sending a powerful downward header past Abha goalkeeper Donovan Léon and into the far post.

That goal marked his third of the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League season in five matches and was his 132nd for Al Nassr since joining the club.

More importantly, it brought his official career total to 979 goals, leaving him just 21 goals away from the historic 1,000-goal milestone that no player has ever reached in competitive senior football.

Ronaldo’s chase for this milestone has become even more urgent after he hinted that this season might be his last as a professional player.

If he keeps up his current scoring rate, he still has a good chance to reach the landmark in Al Nassr’s remaining Saudi Pro League matches, the King’s Cup, the AFC Champions League Elite, and possible Portugal call-ups in the UEFA Nations League, The Sun reported on Wednesday.

Al Nassr controlled the match, holding about 67% possession and creating more clear chances against the newly promoted Abha.

After Ronaldo’s opener, Abdullah Al-Hamdan added a second goal in the 58th minute, moving into the box and scoring with a right-footed shot from the center of the area.

Abha posed a threat late in the game when Nabil Fekir scored from a free-kick in the 75th minute, but Al Nassr held on until the final whistle around the 93rd minute.

This victory puts Al Nassr at 15 points from six matches (five wins and one loss), placing them second in the standings with a goal difference of +9.

Abha remains near the bottom of the table with just one point from six games.

Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes and was named one of the key players, continuing to lead the team for coach Ange Postecoglou.

Al Nassr’s next challenge comes away to Al-Khaleej on September 12 as they aim to stay competitive at the top of the Saudi Pro League while Ronaldo gets closer to an incredible personal milestone.