Twenty goals. That is the whole distance left. On Friday night at Al-Awwal Park, Cristiano Ronaldo turned a rebound into the 980th goal of his senior career and Al Nassr beat Al Diriyah 3-0 to move level with Al Qadsiah at the top of the Saudi Pro League.
AL NASSR 3–0 AL DIRIYAH
Friday 9 October 2026 · Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh
- 23'Cristiano RonaldoRebound, after Coman's shot was saved
- 35'Samú CostaHeader, from a João Félix corner
- 77'Kingsley ComanFinished one-on-one
At 41 he no longer scores the way he used to. The long runs are gone, the explosive acceleration is a memory of a different decade. What replaced it is anticipation: knowing where the loose ball will be before anyone else does.
Kingsley Coman drove at the goalkeeper in the 23rd minute and Waleed Abdullah parried it, but could not hold it. Ronaldo was already moving onto the rebound and finished from close range before the clearance could arrive. It was the first goal of the match and the 980th of his career — and it arrived 23 minutes into a match his club needed to win.
Samú Costa headed the second ten minutes before half-time from a João Félix corner, and Coman raced through to make it three in the 77th, choosing to shoot rather than square it to Ronaldo. The goalkeeper was tested once. Al Nassr shot thirteen times and put eight on target.
THE LAST TWENTY
Each bar is one of the twenty goals still standing between him and a number no player has reached in senior football.
The 20 that stand between him and 1,000
Nobody in the history of the sport has reached a thousand senior goals. Ronaldo's total is now 980 across club and country, with 143 of those coming for Portugal in 225 internationals. Lionel Messi, who retired from international football last year, finished on 932.
Al Nassr have taken him to 101 goals in 113 appearances — 78 of them in 82 league matches, a rate close to a goal a game. At that rate the last twenty is not an improbable number; it is a matter of weeks.
The win matters for more than the milestone. Al Nassr are now on 19 points from eight matches, level with Al Qadsiah and ahead of them on goal difference, with Al Hilal a point behind having played a game fewer. This was the kind of match that has to be won while the chasing pack is still finding its feet.
THE ROAD TO 980
- 974 · Portugal 5–0 Uzbekistan23 Jun 2026World Cup group stage
- 975 · Portugal 5–0 Uzbekistan23 Jun 2026Second goal of the same match
- 976 · Portugal 2–1 Croatia2 Jul 2026Penalty, round of 32
- 977 · Al Riyadh 0–4 Al Nassr21 Aug 2026Off the bench, after 20 minutes
- 978 · Al Nassr 2–1 Al Taawoun28 Aug 2026The hosts' second goal
- 979 · Al Nassr 2–1 Abha9 Sep 2026Header, the opening goal
- 980 · Al Nassr 3–0 Al Diriyah9 Oct 2026Rebound, 23rd minute
The shirt he is wearing while he does it
The yellow Al Nassr home shirt with RONALDO and the 7 printed high on the back is the one he walks out in at Al-Awwal Park, and the one that carries his 980th goal on the 9th of October. It comes in men's, women's and youth, and it is the version with the name and number fixed in place rather than yours to choose.
Last season's cut of the same shirt is still here too. Same yellow, same name and number, same club; the only difference is the season printed on the label. If you have been waiting to see one of these on a shelf rather than on a screen, the 25/26 version is the older of the two and usually the easier size to find.
Sizing on the Ronaldo shirts
The name and number are printed, not personalised, which means the shirt fits the way any Al Nassr home shirt fits — close through the chest and straight at the hem. Men's runs S to 3XL. Women's and youth carry their own length, and the youth run from 7-8 up to 15-16.
Men S–3XL · Women S–3XL · Youth 7-8–15-16
When you would not want your own name on it
Plenty of Al Nassr supporters would rather wear the seven than print their own. The blank version of the same 2026/27 home shirt is here for that, and the deep navy away shirt from the same season for the matches where the home strip is not the one on show.
The next Saudi Pro League weekend takes Al Nassr away to Al Ahli on 15 October, with kick-off at 20:00 Saudi time. It is the fourth match in nine days, and the one where the twenty would get a little closer.
What has happened since
Ronaldo's international future is unsettled. He left the Portugal camp during the break after a disagreement with the coach over his involvement in a Nations League fixture against Norway, and the speculation ran for days. He then made clear that he had no intention of retiring from international football. Whatever happens, the club version of this story is the simplest: he came back, he scored, and the total moved by one.
Common questions
Is the 980th goal the last one of his career?
Nobody knows. He is 41, he has said he is not retiring from international football, and he has 20 goals from a milestone nobody has reached. At his current rate the honest answer is that this is a man 20 goals from something rather than a man winding down.
Which shirt did he wear for the 980th goal?
The yellow Al Nassr 2026/27 home shirt with RONALDO and the number 7 on the back. It is the first of the two Ronaldo shirts on this page, in men's, women's and youth.
How far is he from Messi?
By senior competitive goals, Ronaldo 980 and Messi 932 — a gap of 48. Messi has finished playing for Argentina, so the gap only moves one way.
Does Al Nassr have a women's version of the home shirt?
The 2026/27 Ronaldo 7 home shirt is offered in men's, women's and youth on the same product page — pick the size range you want at checkout. The older 2025/26 cut below is offered the same way.
Where did the goal come from?
The rebound. Coman shot, the goalkeeper parried it but did not catch it, and Ronaldo was first to the loose ball from close range in the 23rd minute.
What is Al Nassr's next match?
Al Ahli, away, on 15 October 2026 at 20:00 Saudi time, in the Saudi Pro League.