Ronaldo Hat-Trick Sends Al-Nassr Past Al-Kholood 5-3
Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals in one match, a feat known as a hat-trick, as Al-Nassr beat Al-Kholood 5-3 in the Saudi Pro League on 29 October. The win also took Ronaldo to 985 career goals, according to BBC Sport.
The game was level at 2-2 when Ronaldo took over. He scored three times in the space of 15 second-half minutes, turning a tight contest into a comfortable lead. Angelo Gabriel and Sadio Mane had scored Al-Nassr's other goals before his burst.
Joao Felix was just as important. The Portugal forward set up four goals, a record that counts as an assist, which is the final pass before a goal. Two of those assists led to Ronaldo's strikes.
The hat-trick was the 67th of Ronaldo's career. He has scored seven for Al-Nassr, 44 for Real Madrid and 10 for Portugal. He also has three each for Manchester United and Juventus, two of the other clubs he has played for.
Ronaldo's record goes well beyond club football. He is a five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, the award given to the world's best player each year. He is also the all-time leading scorer in men's international football, meaning goals for national teams.
He has now spent almost four years at Al-Nassr, and he has one year left on his contract. Each goal adds to a career that has already run longer and wider than most players dare to plan for.
For casual fans, the scoreline tells part of the story. The rest is in the rhythm of the second half, when one player found three chances and took every one.
