Cristiano Ronaldo reached another new milestone for Al Nassr after scoring a brace in their 3-1 win over Al Khaleej on Tuesday night.
The victory meant that his team jumped to third place in the Saudi Pro League, now with 32 points and well positioned to fight for qualification to the AFC Champions League, but a long way from league leaders Al Hilal, with 43 points.
Football's all-time leading scorer scored his 918th and 919th career goals that night and now sits 13th in the league this season, overtaking Al Hilal's Aleksandar Mitrovic in the race for the golden boot.
Ronaldo, 39, has recorded more than 100 goals for the Saudi Arabia team: 101 in 92 games, including 83 goals and 18 assists.
While the most famous footballer on the planet will be delighted to write even more history, he will no doubt have his eyes on a record. He is now 81 goals away from becoming the first person to score 1,000 career goals.
Al Nassr achieved the away victory, helped by Saeed Al-Hamsal's red card in the 35th minute. It was a goalless match until Ronaldo's double.
Cristiano Ronaldo reached 100 goals for Al Nassr after his double on Tuesday night
Ronaldo, 39, has scored 83 goals and provided 18 assists in 92 games for the Saudi team.
The Portuguese superstar leads the race for the Saudi Pro League golden boot with 13 goals this season
Al Khaleej responded when Konstantinos Fortounis converted from the penalty spot in the 80th minute, only to have their hopes of a comeback dashed a minute later by Sultan Al Ghanam, who secured Al Nassr's third.
Ronaldo is believed to be close to extending his contract at Al Nassr until 2026, which will expire at the end of the season, in a deal that will see him earn £3.19m (€3.8m) a week.
Break it down further and the former Real Madrid star earns £419,800 (€500,000) a day, and a staggering £291 a minute.
On his current contract, he pockets around £164m per season for his on-field contributions, with another £49m of his salary coming from off-field projects.
Ronaldo has appeared in videos promoting the country's National Day and has taken sponsored trips to several of Saudi Arabia's booming tourist spots, and has been seen ringside at multiple high-profile boxing matches in Riyadh.
Ronaldo's capture by the Saudi Pro League helped fuel a talent drive for the division that has seen stars such as Neymar Jr., Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante tempted away from European football by the untold riches available in the Kingdom .
Ronaldo has enjoyed a prolific spell in Riyadh, but part of his impetus for staying at the club could be his desire to win major honours.
The striker has only won one trophy, the 2023 Arab Club Championship, with Al Nassr, losing two titles to Al Ittihad and Al Hilal respectively.
Ronaldo is reportedly close to extending his stay in Riyadh until 2026, in a £3.19million-a-week deal.
He has won one trophy during his time in Saudi Arabia: the 2023 Arab Club Championship.
This season, Al Nassr is somewhat behind both title-chasing clubs, in third place.
Last month, Ronaldo again addressed his split at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, comparing it favorably to a top European league in comments that hinted at his continued commitment to Al Nassr.
“The Saudi League is better than Ligue 1, of course,” Ronaldo said. “The only thing France has is PSG. The rest is finished. Try running in 38, 39, 40 degree weather and you'll see…”
'It is difficult to become a champion in Saudi Arabia. This year Al Hilal is better, Al Ittihad is the leader of the league, but I think we have to work hard to be champions.
“I have been champion everywhere I have played and I think I will be champion, but I won this trophy for scoring so many goals and assists and maintaining my level.”