Cristiano Ronaldo showed no mercy as he celebrated his first goal of 2025 in the face of the opposition goalkeeper.
The Portuguese icon got on the scoresheet as Al Nassr recorded a 3-1 win over Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday.
GettyRonaldo netted his 17th goal in all competitions this season[/caption]
Ronaldo and his teammates were making their return to league action after enjoying a winter break, and there were some signs of rustiness to begin with.
The Riyadh outfit fell behind after just six minutes when Saviour Goodwin gave the visitors a shock lead.
However, former Liverpool star Sadio Mane soon brought the game level with an equaliser on 29 minutes.
It wasn’t long after that the game’s major talking point unfolded, as Al Nassr were awarded a penalty just before half time.
Ronaldo stepped up and fired his side into a lead to net his first goal of the year, before wheeling off in celebration.
And the 39-year-old did not spare the feelings of Al Akhdoud goalkeeper Paulo Vitor – who had tried to distract him.
He wore a huge grin on his face as he charged towards the Brazilian stopper, before pointing and laughing at him.
Ronaldo then was then joined by his teammates at the corner flag as he performed his signature ‘Siu’ celebration.
By opening his account for 2025, it marks the 24th consecutive year that he has scored a professional goal, dating back to 2002.
And with teammate Mane wrapping up the three points in the 88th minute, Ronaldo will have been in even better spirits after the match.
GettyRonaldo’s goal against Al Akhdoud was his sixth from the spot in the Saudi Pro League this season[/caption]
Victory saw Al Nassr move up to third place in the league table, though they still trail leaders Al Ittihad by eight points, and second place Al Hilal by six.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s latest strike also saw him boost his individual targets.
His goal from the spot was his 11th league goal of the season, and took him to second place in the SPL’s goalscoring charts, just one less than ex-Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.
And Ronaldo will certainly be hoping to add to plenty more to his tally, with more than just the Golden Boot award on his mind.
The footballing great took his all-time total to a staggering 917 goals against Al Akhdoud last night, but he still has a way to go if he is to reach his ultimate target.
In August, Ronaldo revealed his ambition to reach 1,000 career goals before retiring from football.
The Real Madrid and Manchester United legend is already the all-time record goalscorer in football history, and became the first male player to hit the 900-goal mark when he netted for Portugal in September.