Cristiano Ronaldo made a triumphant return from injury by scoring two goals, leading Al Nassr to a crucial victory over Al Najma in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
The forward from Portugal returned to Al Nassr’s starting eleven after being sidelined for over a month due to a hamstring injury.
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The 41-year-old left his mark right away, converting a penalty in the 56th minute to restore Al Nassr’s lead, followed by another goal to extend their advantage in the 73rd minute.
With these latest goals, Ronaldo has now accumulated a total of 967 career goals as he works towards becoming the first player ever to hit the 1,000-goal milestone.
In a standout performance, former Liverpool forward Sadio Mané also netted twice, scoring in stoppage time of both halves to help Al Nassr secure a 5-2 victory.
After the match, Ronaldo took to Instagram to share, “It’s good to be back. We move forward together!”
This victory was crucial, putting Al Nassr six points ahead of Al Hilal at the top of the Saudi Pro League standings as Ronaldo aims for his first major title since joining Saudi Arabia in December 2022.
Al Hilal, who has played one match less, will seek to narrow the gap to three points when they face Al Taawoun on Saturday.
Ronaldo had previously left the field during Al Nassr’s 3-1 win against Al Fayha on February 28, with coach Jorge Jesus later revealing it was a “more serious injury” than initially expected.
In addition to missing three league matches, Ronaldo spent time in Spain for treatment and was also unable to join the Portugal national team for friendlies against Mexico and the United States ahead of the World Cup.
Currently, he ranks third in the league’s golden boot race, two goals behind the leader, Ivan Toney.