Cristiano Ronaldo needs Saudi Pro League to decide on 982nd career goal

Cristiano Ronaldo may have to wait for his 982nd career goal if a Saudi Pro League meeting on Monday decides that the Al-Nassr captain’s header in his side’s 3-1 top-flight win at Al-Faisaly on Friday was an own-goal.

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo ran to celebrate after competing with opposition defender Andrei Girotto to apply the touch that diverted Joao Felix’s cross off a post and in for Al-Nassr’s second goal of the game, although replays appear to make the 41-year-old’s claim to have scored unclear.

Tariq Kayyal, the head of the league’s Compliance Committee, says officials are waiting on referee Abdullah Al-Owaidan’s statement and plan to “study all the reports”.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo be awarded Al Nassr goal?

While the Saudi Pro League highlights of the game suggest Ronaldo has been credited with the goal – the video is titled “Ronaldo gets GOAL 982” – official data providers appear to have attributed Girotto with the final touch.

“If we are convinced by them, we will decide whether to uphold or reject the decision, thus awarding the goal with the correct ruling,” Kayyal said of the perspectives his committee will consider, via Al-Riyadh.

Pundit and former Saudi Arabia midfielder Khalid Al-Shenaif reportedly said a refereeing committee had given the goal to Ronaldo.

Al-Shenaif is said to have claimed that the league has contacted data providers including experts Opta, “international platforms” and “possibly FIFA” to emphasise that the Madrid all-time top scorer headed the ball.

“That settles the matter,” The Nassr Tribune quoted Al-Shenaif as saying. “His tally stands at 982 goals.

“I believe the Saudi Pro League – or perhaps the Saudi Football Federation – will contact Opta… whose statistics are published across platforms worldwide, to confirm that the goal belongs to Ronaldo in accordance with the [refereeing committee verdict].”

On Monday morning, Opta’s match centre for the game credited Girotto with an own-goal.

How many goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored?

Ronaldo scored his 981st career goal in a 3-1 home win over Uzbekistan Super League team Neftchi Fergana in the AFC Champions League on October 12.

As well as the enduring debate about whether Ronaldo or generational rival Lionel Messi is the best player of modern times, the Portugal icon’s status as the highest scorer ever has been questioned by some who consider Pele the leading marksman in history.

“All the goals [of mine] have videos,” Ronaldo told former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand in 2024. “I will prove to the people, if they prefer this player… I don’t care about that.”

When will Cristiano Ronaldo score his 1,000th goal?

Speaking before the start of Portugal’s Nations League campaign in September, Ronaldo was asked whether he would prefer his 1,000th goal to be for Al-Nassr or Portugal.

“You know the answer: for the national team,” he replied. “It would be the culmination of a beautiful story. As the coach said: the cherry on top of the cake.”

The first camp under Portugal’s new head coach, Jorge Jesus, who led Al-Nassr to the Saudi title last season, ended in premature and acrimonious fashion for Ronaldo.

Having started Portugal’s first game at home to Wales, Ronaldo left the camp after remaining an unused substitute away to Norway on September 27 and discovering he would not start in Denmark on October 1.

In an elaborate statement, Ronaldo then said Jorge Jesus twice “broke his word” and committed an “absolute breach of trust”.

The Portuguese Football Federation has since given Ronaldo a 30-day suspension and fine of around £215 for the walk-out.

With Al-Nassr less than a third of the way through their season, Portugal in action less regularly and Ronaldo’s international future in doubt, his 1,000th goal is likeliest to arrive in this season’s Saudi Pro League.

Cristiano Ronaldo net worth

On financial website Forbes’ all-time list of the highest earning athletes in a year, only boxer Floyd Mayweather eclipses Ronaldo, having pocketed an estimated $300 million (£226m) in 2015 and $285m (£214.5m) in 2018.

Ronaldo was said to have surpassed $1 billion (£771m) in career earnings two years before becoming the most high-profile footballer to move to Saudi Arabia, making his Al-Nassr debut in January 2023.

Ronaldo’s first Al-Nassr deal was widely reported to be worth £14.75m a month or £3.4m per week. His annual salary was said to be £177m per year, made up of £62m for his football salary, supplemented by commercial bonuses.

Ronaldo has a variety of lucrative sponsorship deals, with his recent endorsements including Whoop, video game UFL and cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

Ronaldo won the Saudi title for the first time last season but failed to top-score in the top flight for the first time in his three seasons of being involved.

Shortly after Al-Nassr finished third in 2025/26 – 13 points behind Al-Ittihad – Ronaldo appeared to strongly hint on social media that he had played his final game for the club.

He agreed a new contract exactly a month later, having scored in Portugal’s triumphant Nations League semi-final against Germany and final against Spain.

He missed three matches in all competitions earlier this year, with Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer thought to have been unhappy at Al-Nassr’s perceived lack of transfer activity.

When is Ronaldo playing next? Al Nassr vs Al Wasl off

The AFC announced on Sunday that Al-Nassr’s Champions League home game against UAE Pro League side Al-Wasl on Monday would be postponed.

No reason was given for the decision, although Reuters cited the intensification of fighting in Yemen between a Saudi-led coalition and Iran-aligned ​Houthi forces, who have recently targeted Saudi airports including Riyadh.

Saudi teams have travelled by road for matches in the competition. The outlet said it had contacted Al-Wasl and the ⁠AFC ​for comment.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation released a statement on Sunday saying arrangements for the game had been completed, including flight permits for Al-Wasl and the club’s national FA and the arrival of the match commissioner and refereeing team in Riyadh.

The federation “affirmed full support” for Al-Nassr and Saudi clubs in international competitions, voicing its “readiness to provide all necessary support and assistance in any legal actions taken by the clubs to protect their rights”.

Here’s Al-Nassr’s next fixture.