Al Nassr 3–0 Al Diriyah · Saudi Pro League, round 8
Cristiano Ronaldo scores goal 980 at 41
Al Nassr beat Al Diriyah 3–0 on 9 October, with Ronaldo adding a 23rd-minute finish to move twenty goals from 1000. Here is what the night actually contained, and which shirts it happened in.
The short answer. Ronaldo scored the first goal of the match, an acrobatic finish after a rebound, and it was his 980th career goal. Al Nassr won 3–0 and moved up to second in the table.
He is 41 years old. He started, played the full 90 minutes, and was rated the best player on the pitch.
1Two shots, thirteen minutes apart
The tenth minute and the twenty-third are the same picture with a different answer.
The tenth minute and the twenty-third are the same picture with a different answer. Both times he got the finish; only one of them was legal. That is the whole night in two frames — and the reason 980 took thirteen minutes longer than it should have.
2How the 90 minutes went
Every moment that shaped the result, in order.
- 6'MbembaDiriyah striker shoots low from inside the box; the keeper gathers it. The first sign that the promoted visitors would not simply sit back.
- 10'RonaldoHe chips the ball over the line and it looks like the record goal. The flag is already up — offside, and the goal is wiped off.
- 23'RonaldoComan drives a low shot from outside the area; the keeper parries it into the six-yard box and Ronaldo arrives first to poke it home. Checked by VAR, and this one stands: career goal 980.
- 35'Samu CostaJoao Felix swings a corner into the six-yard box and Costa heads it home at the near post. 2-0, and the stadium settles.
- 41'—Nunes goes down in the Al Nassr box. The referee looks at the monitor and decides there is nothing to give.
- 77'ComanMane wins it back, plays the ball through, and Coman runs clear to slot past the keeper. 3-0, and the game is done.
3What 980 actually represents
The record is not one number; it is four stages of a career, and each stage added a different kind of goals.
Twenty goals left between 980 and 1000. He has four in seven league appearances this season, so the milestone is a matter of roughly twenty more matches rather than another season.
The one he has not scored against. One remains: Al Batan, and he has only ever met them once.
4His five Saudi seasons, one table
All figures are Saudi Pro League only, so cups and the continental competition are not mixed in.
| Season | Apps | Goals | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 16 | 14 | First season in Saudi Arabia. Joined in a January window. |
| 2023/24 | 31 | 35 | His heaviest league return anywhere in the 2020s. |
| 2024/25 | 30 | 25 | A full 30-game season. |
| 2025/26 | 30 | 28 | Back close to his best. |
| 2026/27 | 7 | 4 | Where he is now: seven league appearances, four goals. |
Where that leaves the table. Al Nassr sit second on 19 points, level with Al Qadsiah and behind them only on goal difference. Before the round they were third on 16, so a single night moved them a place up without anyone else playing. Al Hilal and Al Ittihad meet tomorrow in the Riyadh derby, and whichever of them wins will pass this table again.
5The Al Nassr shirts
Every card below is this store’s own stock, with the price read live at the time of writing. Three fits per shirt.
2026/27 AL NASSR HOME SHIRT2026/27 Al Nassr Home Shirt (Ronaldo 7)The home shirt he was wearing for goal 980
2025/26 AL NASSR HOME APPAREL2025/26 Al Nassr Home Apparel (Ronaldo 7)Last season’s home · Ronaldo 7
2025/26 AL NASSR HOME SHIRT2025/26 Al Nassr Home Shirt (Ronaldo 7)Same yellow, earlier cut · Ronaldo 7
2024/25 AL NASSR HOME SHIRT2024/25 Al Nassr Home Shirt (Ronaldo 7)His first Al Nassr home shirt · Ronaldo 7
2025/26 AL NASSR HOME CONCEPT KIT2025/26 Al Nassr Home Concept Kit (Long Sleeve, Ronaldo 7)Long-sleeve concept cut · Ronaldo 7
2025/26 AL NASSR HOME SHIRT2025/26 Al Nassr Home Shirt (Mane 10)Same shirt, No 10 · he won the third goal
2025/26 AL NASSR HOME SHIRT2025/26 Al Nassr Home Shirt (Coman 21)Same shirt, No 21 · set up 980, then scored the thirdOn the numbers printed on the front. Ronaldo has worn seven for Al Nassr since 2022. The home shirt above is the one he was playing in when he reached 980; the away shirt is the same season’s change kit. Everything is offered in men’s, women’s and youth.
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6Common questions
Short answers, no spin.
How many goals has Ronaldo scored in all competitions?
980. The goal against Al Diriyah in October 2026 took him from 979 to 980. Counts differ slightly between outlets depending on whether shoot-outs are included, but 980 is the figure carried by the club and by the league's own match report.
How many club goals is that?
Around 833 of the 980 came for clubs, the rest for Portugal. Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United again and Al Nassr between them supply the lot.
Is Ronaldo the all-time record scorer?
He is widely recorded as the highest-scoring player in top-level football, ahead of the long-standing marks in Germany, Brazil and Italy. Different bodies count different competitions, so you will see slightly different totals quoted.
How close is he to 1000?
Twenty goals. At the rate he is scoring in the 2026/27 Saudi Pro League season — four goals in seven league appearances — that is roughly twenty more matches.
Did he actually play the full match?
Yes. He started and played all 90 minutes, was rated 8.6 — the highest on the pitch — completed every one of his 16 passes, won both aerial duels and made an interception plus two clearances.
Was the goal his first in a while?
No. It was his fourth of the 2026/27 league season and his fifth in all competitions. He had not scored in the two matches before this one.
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Match facts: the Saudi Pro League's own match record and the club's report, cross-checked against four independent reports. Season-by-season league figures are compiled from appearances and goals by season. Every shirt linked above is this store's own stock.