The opening weeks of 2026 were anything but smooth, yet Cristiano Ronaldo once again found a way to bend the narrative in his favor. After a difficult start to the calendar year in Saudi Arabia, the Portuguese icon delivered a defining night that not only steadied the season but also carved his name deeper into the legacy of Al-Nassr. What initially looked like another routine league fixture soon became something far more significant, as Ronaldo reminded everyone that history often follows him — even when momentum seems lost.
The match itself was played with urgency. Al-Nassr needed stability, belief, and goals after surrendering ground in the title race, and once again, Ronaldo stood at the center of the response. Jorge Jesus’ players entered the clash with Damac under pressure. A four-game winless run earlier in the campaign had cost the club its grip on first place, exposing defensive fragility and inconsistency in key moments. Although a dramatic 3-2 victory over Al Shabab had restored confidence days earlier, the task against Damac carried its own weight.
Damac arrived as one of the league’s weakest sides, hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone with just a single win from 15 matches. Anything less than three points would have deepened doubts around Al-Nassr’s title ambitions. From the opening minutes, the gulf in quality was evident.
Al-Nassr struck early, asserting dominance through possession and movement. Abdulrahman Ghareeb opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a composed finish inside the box, setting the tone for the evening. Ronaldo himself came close before the break, rising well to meet a cross only to be denied by a sharp save from the rival’s goalkeeper. Still, the sense lingered that the match required a definitive statement. That arrived shortly after halftime.
Five minutes into the second half, Joao Felix collected the ball just outside the penalty area and delivered a perfectly weighted assist. Ronaldo did the rest. With a single right-footed touch, he guided the ball past goalkeeper Kewin, doubling the lead and sealing the outcome. The goal marked Ronaldo’s 960th career total and 16th of the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League season, reinforcing his position as the league’s top scorer with an average of one goal per match.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr during the Saudi Pro League match between Damac and Al Nassr
The hidden milestone revealed
Only after the final whistle did the full scale of the achievement become clear. That strike was not just another addition to Ronaldo’s personal tally — it rewrote Al-Nassr’s internal history. Cristiano Ronaldo has now become Al-Nassr’s highest-scoring foreign player, reaching 116 goals for the club. The record previously belonged to Abderrazak Hamdallah, who scored 115 goals during a prolific spell between 2018 and 2021.
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 116 |
| 2. | Abderrazak Hamdallah | Morocco | 115 |
| 3. | Anderson Talisca | Brazil | 77 |
| 4. | Ohene Kennedy | Ghana | 74 |
| 5. | Sadio Mane | Senegal | 43 |
| 6. | Giuliano | Brazil | 32 |
| 7. | Adrian Mierzejewski | Poland | 25 |
| 8. | Joao Felix | Portugal | 19 |
| 9. | Nordin Amrabat | Morocco | 17 |
| 10. | Petros | Brazil | 16 |
The Portuguese superstar, who arrived in Saudi Arabia in early 2023, now stands alone at the top of that list. In doing so, he joined an elite chapter of club history, sitting alongside domestic legends such as Majed Abdullah and Mohammad Al-Sahlawi in the broader all-time rankings.
