Only 22 goals left: Cristiano Ronaldo leads Al Nassr to top of the table as historic 1000 mark approaches

Ronaldo is now just 22 goals away from reaching 1,000 career goals. The forward scored the decisive goal in the 50th minute to secure a 2-1 win over Al Taawoun on Friday, bringing his overall career tally to 978 goals.

During the match, Ronaldo played 80 minutes, registered an expected goals (xG) of 1.08, and successfully completed 90% of his passes. This crucial goal confirmed his status as Al Nassr's all-time top scorer in the Saudi Pro League era, reaching 104 goals to surpass Mohammad Al Sahlawi's previous record of 103.

Furthermore, he has now equalled Al Sahlawi's tally of 131 goals across all competitions, trailing only club record holder Majed Abdullah, who has 259.

After Bassam Al Hurayji's 11th-minute opener, Samuel Costa levelled the score in first-half stoppage time (45'+5), setting the stage for Ronaldo’s second-half winner.

This result means Al Nassr have extended their astonishing scoring run to 91 consecutive matches.

The club have secured the second-longest goalscoring streak in football history and hold the longest active run in Saudi Arabian football. They require just six more matches to claim the world record. Ronaldo remains central to this immense team effort, having contributed to 155 goals in 150 appearances for Al Nassr.

The hard-fought victory against Al Taawoun ensures Al Nassr now sit at the very top of the Saudi Pro League table. The club have secured a perfect start to the campaign, accumulating 12 points from their opening four matches. In stark contrast, the defeat leaves Al Taawoun languishing in 15th place with just two points so far.

This domestic dominance follows a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory against Al Ettifaq in the third round. During that match, Ronaldo displayed visible frustration -throwing his arms up and dropping the captain's armband on the pitch- after manager Ange Postecoglou substituted him at half-time with Al Nassr trailing 2-0. The bold tactical decision ultimately paid off, as Sadio Mane struck twice in the second half to inspire a thrilling turnaround. Defending his captain's fiery reaction to the early withdrawal, Postecoglou stated that Ronaldo is "passionate about football and passionate about Al-Nassr", matching the team's immense drive for success.

Looking ahead, Ronaldo will focus on closing the 22-goal gap to reach his monumental 1,000-goal career target while keeping his team at the summit. Al Nassr have massive upcoming fixtures, including a clash against Al Ittihad on September 5. If the team maintain their incredible attacking consistency and perfect league run, they will likely shatter the global consecutive scoring record soon.