On Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 17th goal for Al Nassr during their 3-0 victory over Al Kholood, kicking off the scoring at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Buraydah on matchday 18 of the Saudi Pro League.
With this goal, Ronaldo now shares the top scoring position with Mexican player Julián Quiñones, who also reached 17 goals for Al Qadsiah with a goal against Al Hilal on Thursday.
Ivan Toney, the England striker who previously played for Brentford in the Premier League, has also emerged as a leading contender, having scored 18 goals this season.
At 40, Ronaldo has claimed the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot for two consecutive seasons and is on the hunt for a 1,000-goal career milestone, having scored a total of 961 goals to date.
Just two minutes into the second half, fellow Portuguese player João Félix assisted from the left side of the penalty area, allowing Ronaldo to easily tap the ball past Argentine goalkeeper Juan Pablo Cozzani.
Six minutes later, French central defender Mohamed Simakan extended Al Nassr’s lead to 2-0. In the 27th minute, Al Kholood’s midfielder Hatan Bahbri was sent off after receiving a second yellow card, leaving his team down to ten men.
Shortly after, Aiman Yahya came on to replace Ronaldo.
Al Nassr previously met Al Kholood on September 14, 2025, winning 2-0 with goals from Iñigo Martínez and Sadio Mané. Al Nassr has never been defeated by Al Kholood in any official match.
Currently, Ronaldo and his teammates are enjoying a three-game winning streak, aiming to continue their momentum after an earlier phase of three losses and a draw, against a team that is positioned near the bottom of the table.
Al Nassr is presently ranked third with 40 points, trailing six points behind league leaders Al Hilal, but they have a game in hand. Each team will play a total of 34 matches this season.