Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo has once again etched his name into the record books with an exceptional achievement in the Saudi Pro League. Representing Al Nassr, Ronaldo delivered a stellar performance by scoring twice in the league encounter against Al Akhdoud. With those goals, he reached the 40-goal mark in a calendar year for the 14th time in his professional career, a feat no other player has accomplished.

In the same match, Al Nassr secured a commanding 3–0 victory, marking a historic milestone as the first club in Saudi Pro League history to register ten consecutive league wins. Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 31st minute and followed it up with another superb finish just before halftime. Joao Felix sealed the result with a late goal. Throughout the match, Ronaldo displayed his trademark composure and sharp movement inside the penalty area, underlining his enduring quality.

Messi edged out

During the current year, Ronaldo has netted 32 goals for his club and added eight more while playing for the Portugal national football team, along with four assists. Overall, he has now surpassed the 40-goal threshold in a single year on 14 occasions, moving ahead of Argentine great Lionel Messi, who has achieved the same landmark 13 times. Other elite players on this list include Robert Lewandowski with nine such years, while Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, and Erling Haaland have each reached the mark five times. Notably, Ronaldo also enjoyed four separate seasons between 2011 and 2014 in which he scored more than 60 goals.