At 38 years old, he’s defying age on the field. After each match, he scores goals, leading his team to victory. If you overlook some anomalies, Cristiano Ronaldo’s picture is just like that. Yet, last night was a bit different for Ronaldo. It was his 1,200th professional match!
With such an occasion, Ronaldo seemed quite rejuvenated, reflecting in his on-field performance. He led Al-Nassr to a 4-1 victory, scoring a goal himself and assisting another. With a few more opportunities, he could have increased the goal tally.
Al Nassr dominated the game, holding 67% of the ball possession and taking 22 shots, 8 of which hit the target. On the other hand, Al Riyadh managed just one shot throughout the match. Ronaldo surged ahead, scoring for his team within 31 minutes, with a fantastic tap-in from a Sadio Mane cross.
Later, Ronaldo assisted Otavio for the Portuguese striker’s goal. With a precise cross into the box, Otavio scored the second goal, equalizing the match for Al Nassr. With this victory, Al Nassr secured 37 points from 16 matches, securing the second position on the points table. Al Hilal leads with 44 points from 16 matches.
After his remarkable win in his 1,200th match, Ronaldo posted on social media, ‘Got three more points. Thanks to all my fans for supporting me in reaching my 1,200th match. What a journey! But our work isn’t done yet.’
Despite reaching his 1,200th match milestone, Ronaldo isn’t atop everyone. Former English goalkeeper Peter Shilton still holds that position after playing 1,387 matches. Ronaldo had previously reached the milestone of playing his 1,000th match with Juventus in Serie A in February 2020. Although trailing behind overall, Ronaldo was the first footballer to play 200 international matches. He also holds the record for the most international goals, a whopping 128.
