Cristiano Ronaldo: Al-Nassr forward marks 1,200th career game with goal and assist

Published By Jane Njeri For The Statesman Digital
1 year ago

Cristiano Ronaldo marked the 1,200th professional match of his career by scoring one goal and assisting another for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.

The 38-year-old tapped in Sadio Mane's cross and later set up team-mate Otavio in a 4-1 win over Al-Riyadh.

Ronaldo thanked all those who have helped him reach the landmark - but added that he was "not done yet".

The Portugal forward is the Saudi Pro League's top scorer with 16 goals in 15 games this season.

Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton is acknowledged as holding the record for the most competitive professional appearances in the men's game with 1,387.

The Saudi Pro League confirmed on social media that Ronaldo had reached the milestone and the player later posted on Instagram: "Three more points! Thankful to all my team-mates who helped me reach my 1,200th match. What a ride, but we're not done yet."

Ronaldo also marked his 1,000th senior appearance with a goal in February 2020, scoring for Juventus in Serie A.

In June, he became the first men's player to make 200 international appearances when he featured for Portugal against Iceland, and he is also the top international goal scorer with 128 goals.

Among his club career appearance records, Ronaldo tops the list for all-time appearances in the Champions League (183), in which he represented Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.

He also became the first player in history to score 800 top-level career goals when he surpassed that total playing for Manchester United in December 2021 and has since breached the 850-goal mark.

Al-Nassr remain second in the table, seven points behind leaders Al-Hilal.