Cristiano Ronaldo makes Saudi Pro League history after tough 2026 start: Al-Nassr captain secures immortality after breaking club’s all-time goalscoring record

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.

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.

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.