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The Portuguese superstar finally ended his long wait for a major Saudi Pro League title last weekend when Al-Nassr defeated Damac to clinch the 2025/26 Saudi top-flight championship.

Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice in the 4-1 victory, while Sadio Mane and Kingsley Coman contributed the opening two goals for Al-Nassr.

The 41-year-old had endured disappointment just a week earlier, suffering a 1-0 loss to Japan’s Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League final.

With his brace against Damac, Ronaldo inched closer to another historic milestone. He now stands only 27 goals away from reaching 1000 officially recognized career goals — a record that could be achieved next season if his current form continues.

Ronaldo’s tally currently sits at 973 goals, with 30 of those coming this season for Al-Nassr as he helped secure the elusive Saudi Pro League crown.

The veteran forward scored 28 goals in 30 league appearances this season. Matching that return next year could see him hit the 1000-goal mark during the 2026/27 campaign.

Before then, the Portuguese legend will shift focus to the 2026 World Cup, where he hopes to enhance his international goal record and finally score in a knockout stage — something that has eluded him throughout his career.

For Portugal, Ronaldo has registered 143 goals and 46 assists across 226 appearances, though none of those goals have come in World Cup knockout matches.

Across his five World Cup appearances, Ronaldo has eight goals and two assists from 22 games, including the unforgettable hat-trick against Spain at the 2018 edition.

His international teammate Bruno Fernandes is also in exceptional form, recently setting a new Premier League record with 21 assists in a single season — underlining Portugal’s attacking strength ahead of the tournament.

Ronaldo overcame a hamstring injury sustained in early March to score seven goals and provide one assist in his final eight games of the season, a crucial contribution that propelled Al-Nassr to their league triumph.

By contrast, in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo managed just one goal in 10 matches after a turbulent spell under Erik Ten Hag at Manchester United that saw him benched multiple times.

Currently, Ronaldo is eight goals short of becoming the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. While surpassing that record appears unlikely, scoring three goals would still place him among the tournament’s top ten all-time scorers.

If the 41-year-old manages five goals and Lionel Messi fails to find the net during the tournament, Ronaldo would join his Argentine rival in joint fourth position on the World Cup goalscoring list.

Ronaldo, with 973 career goals to his name, will lead Portugal into their opening World Cup 2026 fixture against DR Congo on June 17.