Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo sent an emphatic message on his social media account after reaching a new milestone.
The Portuguese superstar featured in his 1,200th professional game as Al-Nassr beat Al-Riyadh 4-1 on Friday (8 December). He got the scoring underway in the 31st minute after caressing a Sadio Mane cross into the net from an unmissable range.
Ronaldo then assisted Otavio's goa, with the latter heading in his compatriot's cross at the stroke of half-time. Mane put his team 3-0 up in the 67th minute before Andre Gray pulled one back for his team in the very next minute.
The 38-year-old could have easily doubled his tally in the 85th minute but his right-footed shot from inside the box just missed the mark. Anderson Talisca scored his second of the game and sealed the 4-1 scoreline in second-half stoppage time, taking Al-Nassr to within seven points of leaders Al-Hilal after 16 games.
After the match, 'CR7' took to Instagram to send a message after completing 1,200 games as a professional. Referring to the incredible milestone, the former Manchester United superstar wrote:
"Three more points! 🔝 Thankful to all my team mates who helped me reach my 1200th match. What a ride, but we’re not done yet! 🔥"
Here is a breakdown of Cristiano Ronaldo's 1,200 games at the senior level (h/t AS):
- Sporting Portugal: 31 games (5 goals)
- Manchester United: 346 games (145 goals)
- Real Madrid: 438 games (450 goals)
- Juventus: 134 games (101 goals)
- Al-Nassr: 46 games (39 goals)
- Portugal national team: 205 games (129 goals)
When did Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo play his first senior professional game?
Cristiano Ronaldo played his first senior professional game on 14 August 2002, when he came on as a second-half substitute in Sporting CP's UEFA Champions League qualifier against Inter Milan.
The Portuguese side drew the home leg 0-0, losing the away match 2-0, with Ronaldo not playing a single minute. His domestic debut for Sporting came in a 4-2 loss in the league against Braga on 29 September 2002.
It took just a few more games for Cristiano Ronaldo to showcase his talent to the world before Manchester United came knocking in the summer of 2003. They signed him for a fee of £12 million — a transfer widely regarded as one of the best in the club's history.
Ronaldo's first international appearance came around that time as well. He played 45 minutes in his team's 1-0 friendly win against Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003.