Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after starring for Al-Nassr in win over Al-Fateh

Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo threw down the gauntlet to opponents following his team's 3-1 Saudi Pro League home win over Al-Fateh on Sunday (January 26).

Stefano Pioli's side went in front four minutes before half-time, thanks to a 41st-minute own goal from Marwane Saadane. Mohamed Simakan put the hosts two goals to the good 12 minutes after the break before Mourad Batna pulled one back for Fateh.

Al-Nassr, though, had the last laugh, with their captain continuing his good recent form by restoring his side's two-goal lead in the 87th-minute. The win - a second on the trot - kept Pioli's side in third place in the standings, eight points behind leaders Al-Hilal (43), who have a game in hand.

"We’re not stopping," Ronaldo tweeted after the game.

The strike was Ronaldo's eighth in the league in his last seven games, having netted in six outings. He's now up to 20 goals for the season in 23 games across competitions, with 14 of those goals coming in 16 games in the Saudi top flight.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has now scored 920 times for club and country, 70 clear of his arch-rival Lionel Messi, who's currently in pre-season with his MLS side Inter Miami.

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Kylian Mbappe betters Al-Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid mark

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has become the fourth quickest player to notch up a La Liga hat-trick for the club, doing so in eight games fewer than his idol Cristiano Ronaldo (27).

The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer on a free transfer after a prolific seven-season stint with PSG. After a slow start, the Frenchman is beginning to find his feet in the Spanish capital, scoring his first hat-trick for Carlo Ancelotti's side in a 3-0 La Liga win at Real Valladolid at the weekend.

Only Ruud van Nistelrooy (2), Gareth Bale (9) and Emmanuel Adebayor (14) needed fewer games than Mbappe to register their first hat-trick for Real Madrid, as per Diario AS (via Football Espana). Mbappe is now 11 goals shy of exceeding Ronaldo's first-season tally at the club.

It's pertinent to note, though, that the Portugal captain ended his Los Blancos stint - spanning nine seasons - with an astonishing tally of 450 goals in 438 games across competitions.

Cristiano Ronaldo subsequently spent spells at Juventus and Manchester United before joining Al-Nassr on a free transfer in December 2022.