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When Cristiano Ronaldo netted his first goal in Thursday's 5–3 victory over Al Kholood, he appeared visibly frustrated after finally beating the goalkeeper following two early strikes that had been ruled out. Within fifteen minutes, however, he was a picture of unbridled, vein-bulging celebration.
Over the course of 15 second-half minutes, Ronaldo found the net three times, slotting home two cutback passes with his left and right foot on either side of a powerful header. By scoring with three distinct parts of his body, Ronaldo accomplished one of soccer's rarest achievements: a perfect hat trick.
Even for someone as prolific as the most prolific goalscorer in world soccer history, this particular type of treble remains an uncommon feat. Of all the hat tricks Ronaldo has notched for club and country, only 11 have qualified as "perfect."
Every Perfect Hat Trick in Ronaldo's Career
It has been a turbulent few weeks for Ronaldo. After storming out of Portugal's international training camp, the 41-year-old endured a dismal return to club football, putting in one of his most ineffective displays of the season against NEOM. Ronaldo had yet to register a league goal since his high-profile falling out with Jorge Jesus and looked set for another forgettable evening on Thursday.
Ronaldo initially had the ball in the net inside the opening 10 minutes, only for VAR to step in and flag him for offside. The striker, whose renowned work ethic was called into question by former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag earlier this month, also misjudged his run just before the halftime whistle.
From the 66th minute onward, the floodgates opened for Ronaldo as he added yet another chapter to his extraordinary goalscoring legacy.
This was the 67th hat trick of Ronaldo's career—37 of which have arrived since he turned 30. By comparison, newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane has scored 'only' 31 hat tricks throughout his entire senior career.
Ronaldo already stands alone as the recognized all-time leading scorer in professional soccer, but one significant milestone still remains within his sights.
When Will Ronaldo Crack 1,000 Goals?
"I want to reach 1,000 goals," Ronaldo stated in 2024. "If I stay injury-free, this is the most important thing for me."
The veteran striker's latest treble brought his total to 985 goals for club and country, just 15 short of that extraordinary four-digit milestone. Ronaldo would not be the first player to reach 1,000 goals—legendary Brazilian striker Pelé is recognized by the Guinness World Records as having scored 1,279 goals across 1,363 appearances. However, many of those came in competitions that would now be considered unofficial. FIFA, the global governing body of soccer, lists Pelé's official tally at 767.
Al Nassr have 23 league fixtures remaining this season, along with at least six more games in the AFC Champions League group stage and the next round of the King's Cup—a minimum of 30 club matches before any international commitments are factored in.
It remains to be seen how much playing time Jesus will grant his controversial star, but the expectation is that Ronaldo will rejoin the international fold after accepting his modest fine. Portugal have two more Nations League games in November and could feature in the two-legged quarterfinals next March ahead of the final tournament in June.
If Ronaldo maintains his impressive fitness levels and features in the bulk of these matches, he would need to score roughly one goal every two games to reach 1,000. Given his current rate of one goal every 120 minutes for Al Nassr, he could realistically have the milestone secured by next spring.