Cristiano Ronaldo continued to move closer to the 1,000-goal milestone by scoring a hat trick in Al-Nassr's 5-3 win over Al-Kholood on Thursday, Oct. 29.
The Portugal legend did all of his damage in the second half of the Saudi Pro League match, netting in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes to seal victory at Alawwal Park.
The treble took Ronaldo up to 985 career goals as he nears a milestone that he has been chasing for several years.
In a 2024 interview with former teammate Rio Ferdinand, Ronaldo laid out his intention to reach the milestone.
"I want to reach 1,000 goals," he said. "If I don't have any injuries, this for me is the most important [thing], I want that. For me, the best mark that I can have in football is to reach, first, 900 goals.
After, my challenge is to be at 1,000 goals."
At the time, Ronaldo had 899 career goals. He has continued to find the net with regularity as he carries on playing into his 40s.
Should Ronaldo reach 1,000 goals, he would be the first player to do so in official senior matches.
Brazil legend Pelé is recognized by Guinness World Records as having scored 1,279 career goals in 1,363 games, though many of those matches were exhibitions. FIFA lists Pelé's total at 767 career goals.
"All the goals I have scored, they have video," Ronaldo said. "They all have video. Listen, I respect all of them [Pelé and Alfredo Di Stéfano]. And if you want more goals, I can bring them from training, too. And I will prove to the people after. They prefer this player, or this is the best one. I don't care about that."
Ronaldo, 41, won consecutive Saudi Pro League Golden Boots in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He finished third in last season's scoring race with 28 goals.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cristiano Ronaldo scores hat trick, moves closer to 1,000-goal milestone
