Ronaldo Scores 979th Career Goal as Al Nassr Beat Abha 2-1
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 979th career goal as Al Nassr defeated Abha 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League, Saudi Arabia’s top-flight football competition, moving the 41-year-old Portuguese forward to within 21 goals of an unprecedented 1,000-goal career total.
Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 22nd minute at Al Awwal Park in Riyadh, rising to meet an inswinging corner from teammate Ângelo and heading the ball toward the far post. The header struck the post before crossing the line. Abdullah Al-Hamdan doubled Al Nassr’s lead in the 58th minute with a right-footed finish from the center of the box. Abha’s Nabil Fekir reduced the deficit in the 75th minute, converting a free kick directly rather than crossing it into the area, but Al Nassr held on to secure the win.
The result was Al Nassr’s response to their first Saudi Pro League defeat of the season, a 2-1 loss away to Al-Ittihad in Jeddah four days earlier. It left Al Nassr on 15 points from six matches, level with Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah at the top of the standings, with all three clubs having won five of their opening six games.
The goal and its context
Ronaldo’s header was his third league goal of the 2026-27 season in five appearances and his 132nd for Al Nassr since joining the club in January 2023. It brought his overall career total to 979 goals, a tally compiled across spells with Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, as well as for the Portugal national team, in addition to his time at Al Nassr. Media reports covering the milestone said Ronaldo would become the first player to reach 1,000 goals with each one independently verified and documented on video, a distinction not previously claimed by any player in the sport’s history.
Ronaldo had further chances to add to his tally before halftime. In the 38th minute he turned and struck a shot against the post after receiving the ball with his back to goal, and goalkeeper Donovan Leon denied him again shortly before the interval, according to Arab News, a Saudi English-language daily.
Match description
Arab News reported that the atmosphere at Al Awwal Park was subdued compared with recent fixtures, with Al Nassr still adjusting after the Al-Ittihad defeat and fielding a lineup missing Joao Felix, who was suspended, and Kingsley Coman, who was out through injury; manager Ange Postecoglou also rested defender Abdulelah Al-Amri. Abha, who entered the match without a win this season, generated several early chances of their own. Alimami Gory struck the post in the 24th minute after being played through by Michy Batshuayi, and Batshuayi was flagged offside on a separate breakaway attempt before halftime, per Arab News’ account of the match.
Fekir’s 75th-minute free kick, which beat goalkeeper Bento at the near post, set up a tense finish, but Abha could not find an equalizer and Al Nassr saw out nine minutes of stoppage time to close out the win, according to a report from 101 Great Goals, a soccer news outlet.
Ballon d’Or context
Ronaldo’s goal came shortly after organizers of the Ballon d’Or, an annual award recognizing the sport’s top individual performer, left him off the 30-man shortlist for this year’s prize. Following the match, Ronaldo posted an image from the game on social media with the caption “Hard work pays off,” a message that outlets including Yahoo Sports and Yardbarker described as a response to the Ballon d’Or omission. Ronaldo has not confirmed that connection himself.
What follows
Ronaldo’s pursuit of 1,000 career goals continues across Al Nassr’s remaining Saudi Pro League fixtures, the King’s Cup and the AFC Champions League Elite, as well as any upcoming Portugal call-ups for UEFA Nations League matches, according to reporting cited by The Sun. No date has been set at which Ronaldo is expected to reach the milestone, and his rate of scoring going forward remains unconfirmed.
Sources
Match details, the goal-by-goal sequence and Ronaldo’s career totals are corroborated across wire and international outlets; the account of Al Nassr’s team news, missing players and pre-match atmosphere draws on Arab News, a Saudi outlet with direct access to the match.
Wire services and international press
- Gulf News, “Cristiano Ronaldo scores 979th goal as Al Nassr win 2-1.” https://gulfnews.com/sport/football/cristiano-ronaldo-scores-979th-goal-as-al-nassr-win-2-1-1.500669107
- Yahoo Sports, “WATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo leads Al Nassr to 2-1 win over Abha with historic header for 979th goal.” https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/watch-cristiano-ronaldo-leads-al-021451043.html
- World Soccer Talk, “Cristiano Ronaldo leads Al Nassr to a 2-1 win vs Abha as he climbs in the Saudi Pro League scoring chart.” https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/cristiano-ronaldo-leads-al-nassr-to-a-2-1-win-vs-abha-as-he-climbs-in-the-saudi-pro-league-scoring-chart/
- 101 Great Goals, “Al-Nassr 2-1 Abha: Report, result and goals as Ronaldo and Co return to winning ways.” https://www.101greatgoals.com/football/al-nassr-2-1-abha-report-result-goals/
Local press (match report and team news)
- Arab News, “Ronaldo scores 979th career goal as Al-Nassr bounce back against Abha.” https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-pro-league/ronaldo-scores-979th-career-goal-as-al-nassr-bounce-back-against-abha-3001137
Background and prior proceedings
- ANI via LatestLY, “Goal Number 979!: Cristiano Shines in Al Nassr’s 2-1 Win over Abha” (Sept. 10, 2026). https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/sports-news-goal-number-979-cristiano-shines-in-al-nassrs-2-1-win-over-abha-7598173.html
- Asianet Newsable, “Cristiano Ronaldo scores 979th goal in Al Nassr’s 2-1 SPL win.” https://newsable.asianetnews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-scores-979th-goal-in-al-nassr-s-2-1-spl-win-articleshow-5heunvp
Editor’s note on sourcing Outlets disagreed on Al Nassr’s exact league position after the match — some described the club as tied for first with Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah on points, others as second on goal difference behind Al Hilal — so this article reports only the shared, corroborated fact: all three clubs sit level on 15 points after six rounds. The dateline follows Arab News and Gulf News, which place the match on Wednesday, Sept. 9; a minority of syndicated wire pickups (ANI) dated it to Thursday, Sept. 10, likely reflecting a different time zone or publication timestamp rather than a factual dispute. Ronaldo’s Instagram caption is reported as posted; his intent behind it, including any link to the Ballon d’Or snub, is attributed to media interpretation only, since Ronaldo has not stated the connection himself.
