Despite a dispute with his national team, Cristiano Ronaldo is continuing to do what Cristiano Ronaldo does: score.
The soccer superstar, 41, scored a goal for Al-Nassr in the 23rd minute of their match on Friday, Oct. 9. His teammate attempted a shot and the ball bounced off goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah. Ronaldo took the rebound and struck the ball into the upper left corner of the net. He ran to the corner of the pitch and did his signature celebration with a strong skip.
The goal, which opened scoring for the Saudi Pro League club, is Ronaldo's 980th goal all-time. This includes those he has netted in club play and internationally with Portugal. He's chasing a historic milestone of 1,000 goals.
🚨🚨| CRISTIANO RONALDO GOLAZOOO!!! 980 GOALS !!!!!!
FIRST GOAL AFTER LEAVING THE NATIONAL TEAM!!! pic.twitter.com/NbhMtZ0Lbq
— Kalshi FC (@KalshiFC) October 9, 2026
The goal also comes after the five-time Ballon d'Or winner left his national team. Ronaldo walked out of training campin Copenhagen after manager Jorge Jesus did not play him in a 2-1 win over Norway on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Ronaldo said he informed Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença of his decision to leave.
"In time, I will tell the truth to all Portuguese people about the reasons behind my departure from the national team, which I have always dedicated myself to," he said in an Instagram post.
The former Real Madrid star later apologized to his fans and wrote a lengthier explanation of why he left Portugal, saying that Jesus "had broken his word to me."
Ronaldo said he and the coach had a discussion after the Norway fixture to go over talking points for Jesus' post-match press conference. The striker said Jesus was expected to deliver a message putting him among the greats along the lines of, "I made a mistake by having someone of the stature of Pelé or Maradona warm up and then not put him in the game. If it happened today, I would not do it."
Jesus did not deliver the decided-on speech and Ronaldo said deuces.
Ronaldo is Portugal's all-time leading scorer with 146 goals. He took the team to the Round of 16 in this summer's World Cup where they lost to eventual champion Spain. He scored his first knockout round goal in the Round of 32 win over Croatia.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo scores 980th goal amid Portugal dispute
