Amid criticism for poor form in his competitive career in Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo showed that he still hasn't lost his goal-scoring ability despite being 38 years of age. Turning up for his new club Al-Nassr on Thursday, having just scored once in the league, Ronaldo scored as many as four goals to help his side thump Al-Wehda 4-0 in a Saudi Pro League fixture.
In the process, the ex-Manchester United forward passed the 500-goal mark and took his overall goals tally in domestic leagues to 503. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored twice in each of the two halves and showed glimpses of his prime form even though the opposition, in all fairness, wasn't as strong as some of the others he has scored a hat-trick against in the past.
This will do a world of good to Ronaldo's confidence who hasn't had the best of seasons so far. Not only was he benched for knockout matches of Portugal in the FIFA World Cup, his contract at the Old Trafford also came to a pre-mature end following his bombshell interview with journalist Piers Morgan.
He then took a contract outside of Europe for the first time, reportedly signing a $200 million deal with Al-Nassr. However, he failed to impress in his first few matches for the side before finally scoring his first goal for the club by converting a penalty in the team's 2-2 draw against Al Fateh.
He has now followed that performance with a sensational four goal performance on Thursday evening.
"Great feeling to have scored 4 goals and reaching my 500th league goal in a very solid win by the team!💪🏼⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️," the talismanic striker captioned a few pictures from the game.
Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Nassr will take on Al-Taawoun, who are currently placed fifth, in their next fixture on February 17.