Cristiano Ronaldo netted an impressive first-half hat-trick for Al-Nassr on Tuesday in the Saudi Pro League, and we take a deeper look at the level the Portuguese forward is reaching at 39-years-old.
Al-Nassr thumped Abha 8-0, with Ronaldo chipping in with five goal contributions, so he is proving that even at the latter stages of his career, that he can still produce the goods.
The Portuguese talisman’s work was done at the break, after he was substituted at half-time with his side already being five goals to the good and 20-year-old Meshari Fahad Al Nemer took his place.
Impressive Hat-trick
Despite being substituted at half-time, it was a complete performance from Ronaldo after he was involved in all five of his sides goals in the half, including two set-piece goals and topped the hat-trick off with a clinical lop in the 42nd minute.
The trio of goals from Ronaldo, his second in a row, meant that he climbed to a seven goal lead in the Saudi League top goal scorer’s list, as he has now netted 29 times in 24 league games.
Stats for Al-Nassr
Ronaldo has now chipped in with a whopping 39 goal contributions in 24 league games for Al-Nassr this term, and he has now contributed to 70 goals in 60 appearances in all competitions since he signed for the club.
The numbers that the former Real Madrid man has produced at 39-years-old is something that we have not seen before in football, and there is still eight league games for him to add to his tally this campaign.
Is he still world-class?
Although the argument could be that the Saudi Pro League is not at the same level as the leagues in Europe, there is no doubt that Ronaldo is performing to a world-class level this term, where he has proven his worth week in week out with several man of the match performances.
Ronaldo does not look like he is slowing down, and along with the numbers that he is producing, the type of goals that he is scoring are similar as to what he has done his entire career, such as free-kicks and outstanding finishes from all angles.
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