Category: ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo became a trailblazing figure when he left European shores to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr – but now, with the Portuguese talisman being 40 years of age, reports are suggesting that his future in the Middle East is in serious doubt.

Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and even footballing superstar Neymar are just a handful of the big-time names that followed in the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid talisman’s footsteps after he moved to Saudi Arabia in January 2023.

The plan for Ronaldo – widely regarded as one of the best footballers of all time – was for him to spend his swansong at Al-Nassr, all while breaking the 1,000-goal mark. But reports have suggested his time may be cut short.

Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr Future Hanging in the Balance

Portuguese talisman at the top of Saudi Pro League’s goalscoring charts

Ever since taking the leap two-and-a-half years ago, Ronaldo has been his potent self in front of goal, scoring goals as if they are going out of fashion. In fact, the seasoned forward has notched 91 goals and a further 19 assists in 103 outings.

As things stand, Madeira-born Ronaldo has just two months remaining on his current deal in the Saudi capital – and, naturally, there are doubts over whether the club’s higher-ups will offer him a new deal, according to Spanish publication Marca.

The report suggested that Ronaldo, 40, was poised to put pen to paper on a new two-year deal recently, but negotiations have stalled somewhat as the club struggle, despite having some of the winger-turned-striker’s capabilities leading the line, to win silverware.

After losing 3-2 to Al-Ittihad on Wednesday, Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr are not on course to qualify for the AFC Champions League and Ronaldo’s employers are reluctant to extend his stay at the club if they continue to get nothing (in terms of trophies) in return.

Following his side’s recent loss, which saw Al-Nassr give up a two-goal lead in the 94th minute, Ronaldo – in utter frustration at the result and, more importantly, the performance – reportedly left the stadium without even getting changed.

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His actions, however, have concerned the powers that be at the King Saud University Stadium – and in terms of a renewal, they are considering all options before offering the record-breaking frontman new terms on his hefty contract.

Moving to another club in Saudi Arabia has not been ruled out of the question as Al-Nassr are eager to add more trophies to their repertoire – and to make matters worse, they exited this season’s AFC Champions League at the hands of J-League side Kawasaki Frontale recently.

Ronaldo is ahead of the talismanic trio of Ivan Toney, Aleksandar Mitrovic and the aforementioned Benzema and currently top of the Saudi Pro League goal-getter charts – with 23 strikes in 28 outings – but Stefano Piolo’s side have struggled to keep pace.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have defined an era in global soccer, pushing each other to unprecedented heights for nearly two decades. With his latest goal against Minnesota United FC, the Inter Miami star has once again pulled ahead in one key category—reaching a remarkable scoring milestone faster than his longtime rival.

The Herons traveled to Minnesota for Matchday 12 of the 2025 MLS season looking to climb back into the league’s top positions. However, things didn’t go according to plan, as Inter Miami endured their worst defeat with Messi on the field.

Minnesota took control early, scoring twice in the first half. Shortly after the break, Messi finished off a sharp attacking move with a goal off a pinpoint cross from Jordi Alba to cut the deficit. But the hosts responded with two more goals, handing Miami a heavy 4–1 loss.

Messi sets historic goal milestone despite defeat

Despite the result, Messi’s lone goal was historic. With it, he became the fastest player in history to reach 860 official career goals. While both he and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only players to reach that mark, Messi hit it earlier—and did so more efficiently.

Ronaldo notched his 860th goal with a stunning free kick during Al Nassr’s 2–1 win over Damac in the Saudi Pro League on October 21, 2023. He was 38 years old and playing in his 1,189th official match.

see also

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham’s bold claim: Only one star can match Lionel Messi – and he is at Barcelona

Messi, by comparison, scored his 860th goal in his 1,098th game—91 matches fewer than Ronaldo. He also did it at age 37, nearly a year younger than Ronaldo at the time of his achievement.

The two legends continue to lead the all-time scoring charts. Ronaldo stands at 934 goals in 1,276 official matches (0.73 goals per game), while Messi now has 860 in 1,098 (0.78 goals per game). As the Portuguese star continues his pursuit of the 1,000-goal milestone, both players remain active and historic figures in the twilight of their careers.

On Saturday afternoon, Atlético Madrid defeated Real Sociedad 4–0 on Matchday 35 of La Liga. Alexander Sorloth was the standout performer, scoring all four goals and achieving a feat that other global stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have previously reached.

Messi has scored four goals in a single match six times throughout his professional career and has recorded five goals on two occasions. Cristiano, on the other hand, has hit those numbers even more frequently: the Portuguese forward has scored four goals in a match nine times, and five goals twice.

The first time Lionel Messi scored four goals in a single game was during a 4–1 win for Barcelona over Arsenal in the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League season, when he was just 22 years old.

In 2012, Leo set an all-time record by scoring 91 goals in a calendar year—a mark unmatched in soccer history. Unsurprisingly, he had three such performances that year: four goals against Valencia and Espanyol in La Liga, and five against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

A year later, Messi netted four goals in La Liga against Osasuna. His last two four-goal games came against the same opponent, Eibar, in 2017 and 2020. The most recent instance of this kind of performance was with the Argentina national team in 2022, when he scored five goals against Estonia.

see also

‘Cristiano is like Michael Jordan,’ claims Real Madrid star who faced Ronaldo’s Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo’s four-goal (or more) matches

Most of Cristiano Ronaldo’s four-goal games came during his time with Real Madrid. He first did it in 2010 against Racing Santander in La Liga, and repeated the feat the following year against Sevilla. In 2014, he scored four goals again—this time against Elche.

The year 2015 was especially prolific: he scored five goals twice, against Espanyol and Granada in La Liga, and four goals once, against Malmoe in the UEFA Champions League. He added two more four-goal matches with Real Madrid, in 2017 and 2018, against Celta Vigo and Girona, respectively.

With the Portugal national team, Ronaldo scored four goals twice: in 2016 against Andorra in a World Cup 2018 qualifier, and in 2019 against Lithuania in a Euro qualifier. His most recent four-goal game came with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in 2023, when he scored four against Al Wehda.

How many goals have Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two highest goal scorers in the history of soccer. The Portuguese forward tops the list with 934 goals since making his debut with Sporting Lisbon in 2002. The Argentine star, who is about a year and a half younger, sits just behind him with 859 career goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Al-Nassr is reportedly looking more uncertain after contract talks were put on hold amid the club’s struggles.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Al-Nassr is reportedly looking more uncertain after contract talks were put on hold amid the club’s struggles.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Al-Nassr is reportedly looking more uncertain after contract talks were put on hold amid the club’s struggles.

Martin Zubimendi verbally agrees to join Arsenal from Real Sociedad, Erik ten Hag and Cesc Fabregas in frame to replace Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen and Cristiano Ronaldo future at Al-Nassr in doubt.

Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 26, has verbally agreed to join Arsenal and the Spain international intends to join the Gunners when his release clause of 60m euros (£50.75m) is activated. (Talksport), external

However, reports in Spain suggest Xabi Alonso has included Zubimendi on a list of transfer targets for when, as expected, the Bayer Leverkusen manager replaces Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid boss. (AS), external

Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal are planning a third meeting with the representatives of Portugal international Bruno Fernandes as they try to convince the 30-year-old to join them, despite Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim saying he wants the midfielder to stay at Old Trafford. (Mirror), external

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and Como boss Cesc Fabregas are the contenders to take over from Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen. (Kicker – in German), external

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is working on a deal to bring in a new striker, narrowing down his search to Sporting’s Sweden star Viktor Gyokeres, 26, and RB Leipzig’s Slovenia international Benjamin Sesko, 21. (TBR Football), external

Belgium forward Leandro Trossard is also in talks with Arsenal about a new deal, amid the 30-year-old attracting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs. (Mail), external

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Al-Nassr is in doubt, with a two-year contract extension for the 40-year-old being put on hold. (Marca), external

Manchester United favour a move for Bournemouth’s Ghana winger Antoine Semenyo, 25, over a potential deal for Brentford’s Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo, 25. They are also looking to sign Wolves’ Brazil striker Matheus Cunha, 25, and Ipswich Town’s 22-year-old English frontman Liam Delap. (Sky Sports, via Teamtalk), external

Germany winger Leroy Sane is not satisfied with the new deal offered by Bayern Munich and could leave on a free transfer in the summer, with the 29-year-old linked to Arsenal, Chelsea or La Liga. (Sky Sport Germany), external

Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah, 29, has been linked with Bayern Munich and Barcelona on a free transfer in the summer and the Germany international says he will make a decision soon about his future. (Sport Bild – in German), external

Marseille are considering 25-year-old Arsenal and Poland centre-back Jakub Kiwior as one of the summer options to strengthen their defence. (Foot Mercato – in French), external

Cristiano Ronaldo faces an uncertain future at Al Nassr with contract talks on hold as a move to Saudi Pro League rivals Al Hilal are tipped to make a move for the forward

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Al-Nassr remains unclear with talks of a contract extension “put on hold”. The Portugal icon was tipped to sign a new two-year deal but another underwhelming year has cast doubt over his next move.

Ronaldo has continued to score with regularity but his efforts have not led to silverware for Al Nassr and talk of an internal Saudi Pro League switch is ramping up. Rival club like Al Hilal, who have qualified for the Club World Cup, have been touted as a potential destination.

Marca understands that the continued failures by Al Nassr have seen Ronaldo question whether or not he should remain. The five-time Ballon d’Or has scored 33 goals in 39 appearances this term but his side dropped to fourth in the league after losing 3-2 to table toppers Al-Ittihad on Wednesday.

It means they’re all but out of the title race and the 40-year-old stormed off the pitch, which was not well received by the club’s hierarchy. Ronaldo’s side were dumped out of the Asian Champions League semi-finals to Japanese side Kawasaki last week.

When the veteran frontman was axed by Manchester United and moved to the Middle East he claimed that his time in Europe was finished so, if he does leave Al Nassr, he is unlikely to move back to a top five league.

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates son’s first international call-up with four-word messageREAD MORE: Paul Scholes names Man Utd star Ruben Amorim must refuse to sell in summer overhaul

Ronaldo has been in discussions over a new deal for months. His contract includes broader commercial, ambassadorial, and developmental roles. There were reports suggesting Ronaldo’s new contract would be worth up to £171million annually

Ronaldo has repeatedly stated his ambition to score 1000 goals before calling time on his glittering career. His total currently stands at 934 for club and country having made his senior debut for Sporting Lisbon as a teenager back in 2002. He said earlier this season: “I just want to enjoy [myself]. Plan for retirement? If it has to happen, in one or two years. I don’t know. I’m turning 40 soon.

“I really want to enjoy [it], as long as I feel motivated I keep going. The day I don’t feel motivated, I will retire. I don’t see myself managing a team; that’s not in my plans. My future lies in other areas outside of football, although time will tell what happens.”

Ronaldo was the first major name to move to Saudi Arabia and was tipped to make Al Nassr serial trophy winners, but his only success thus far was the Arab Club Champions Cup, which he won in 2023.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s future is reportedly uncertain after Al-Nassr slumped to fourth place in the Saudi Pro League table.

Ronaldo, 40, joined the Saudi Arabia club in 2022 after falling out with then-Man United head coach Erik ten Hag.

And since arriving at Al-Nassr, he has produced 91 goals and 19 assists in 103 appearances – with 33 of these coming during the 2024/25 campaign.

However, despite the Portugal international’s contributions, his side sits fourth in the Saudi Pro League behind Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal and league leaders Al-Ittihad with just four league fixtures remaining.

As a result, his future is still uncertain with the player’s contract set to expire in two months.

MARCA reports that Ronaldo was expecting to pen a two-year extension, which would see him play beyond his 42^nd birthday.

However, the outlet claims that negotiations have been halted due to the club’s recent struggles, having also been dumped out of the AFC Champions League at the semi-final stage with a 3-2 loss against Japanese outfit Kawasaki on April 30.

This comes after Ronaldo claimed that he would “probably” end his career at Al-Nassr when he spoke to Portuguese TV channel Now [quotes via TNT Sports] back in 2024.

“I don’t know if I will retire soon, in two or three years, but probably I will retire here at Al Nassr,” Ronaldo said.

“I’m happy at this club, I feel good in this country too. I’m happy to play in Saudi Arabia, and I want to continue.”

And given his age, questions are often put forward about his future at international level, but he insisted that any decision to retire will be a “well thought-out” one.

“When I leave the national team, I won’t tell anyone in advance, and it will be a very spontaneous decision on my part, but also a very well thought-out one,” he added.

Ronaldo is still the front-runner to win the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot as he leads the race by three goals, having scored 23 in the SPL, while Ivan Toney has netted 20 times for Al-Ahli, who recently won their first-ever AFC Champions League crown.