Cristiano Ronaldo says his focus has shifted away from trying to break individual records as he does not have "much time left on the pitch".

The 39-year-old scored what proved to be the match-winning goal in a 2-1 victory for Al-Nassr over Al-Rayyan of Qatar in their AFC Champions League Group B match on Monday.

It was his 904th career goal, having recently hit the 900-landmark during Portugal's Nations League opener against Croatia.

With Al-Nassr currently on a four-match winning streak in all competitions under new manager Stefano Pioli, Ronaldo insisted his aim was to help the team where he could instead of chasing personal achievements.

"It was a strong and difficult match, like all the matches in the AFC Champions League, but the most important thing is that we created many chances and defended well to prevent the opponent from creating easy chances," Ronaldo told a press conference after the match.

"I'm just enjoying playing football now, as I know I don't have much time left on the pitch.

"It is not important anymore whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that. It is good for a player to score goals, but for me, it is better for the team to win.

"I am used to breaking records and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al-Nassr and my teammates to win."

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 71 goals since joining Al-Nassr in December 2022.

Last season, he became the top scorer in a single season in the Saudi Pro League, netting 35 times as the team finished second behind Al-Hilal.

Cristiano Ronaldo was on target from the penalty spot to help secure Al-Nassr a 2-0 victory over 10-man Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.

Angelo had given the hosts the leave just before the break, and Al-Wehda's game went from bad to worse as Waleed Bakshween received some late marching orders.

Al-Nassr dominated the first half and, after Wesley had struck the woodwork, finally got their reward in the 40th minute as Angelo latched onto Sadio Mane's throughball to lob a fine finish over Abdullah Al Owaishir.

Al-Wehda showed some fight after going behind, with Youssef Amyn flashing a shot wide on the stroke of half-time before Juninho Bacuna forced Bento into a good save after the restart.

The result was put beyond doubt shortly after though – Mohamed Al Makahasi pulled down Sultan Al Ghannam in the box, and Ronaldo made no mistake with the resulting spot-kick.

Mane was denied a goal of his own in the 81st minute, with Ronaldo straying just offside in the build-up, before Bakshween received a needless second yellow card for dissent five minutes later. 

Al-Nassr move up to second in the table, just one point behind leaders Al-Hilal, for now, with Al-Wehda down in 14th. 

Data Debrief: Pioli makes dream start

Stefano Pioli won his first match in the Saudi Pro League 3-0 against Al-Ettifaq, and on Friday, became the first manager in the club's history to start his reign with back-to-back clean sheets in the competition.

The hard work was done in the first half though, as Al-Nassr had 14 of their 19 shots, accumulating 1.42 expected goals as they hit the target five times. 

Stefano Pioli avoided an embarrassing first defeat as Al-Nassr head coach as Nawaf Bu Washl's 92nd minute winner saw the visitors beat second tier Al-Hazem in the King's Cup on Monday. 

Pioli, taking charge of his second game for the Saudi Pro League club, saw his side go close to opening the scoring early on when Talisca's effort struck the woodwork. 

But Al-Nassr's dominance was rewarded in the sixth minute of first-half injury time when Sadio Mane headed beyond Ibrahim Zaid after Sultan Al Ghannam's cross. 

However, the hosts stunned Pioli's side just after the hour-mark as Basil Al Sayyali turned home his second goal of the season with an emphatic finish off the crossbar.

Al-Nassr's frustrations continued heading into the closing stages as Mane, Mohammed Marran and Wesley saw efforts repelled by their plucky opponents. 

But with the game poised for extra-time, a defensive mix-up between Saud Al Rashed and Zaid allowed Bu Washl to steal in, finishing into an empty net to put the visitors into the hat for the next round. 

Data Debrief: Pioli feels Ronaldo absence

Without Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks, Al-Nassr lacked a clinical finisher at the top end of the pitch, failing to capitalise on the opportunities they created. 

The visitors ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 3.16, but only eight of their 21 shots were on target, whilst they also missed five big chances. 

Mane was the notable standout for Pioli's side, registering more touches in the opposition box (eight) and total shots (five) than anyone for Al-Nassr. 

Stefano Pioli avoided an embarrassing first defeat as Al-Nassr head coach as Nawaf Bu Washl's 91st minute winner saw the visitors beat second tier Al-Hazem in the King's Cup on Monday. 

Pioli, taking charge of his second game of the Saudi Pro League club, saw his side go close to opening the scoring early on when Talisca's effort struck the woodwork. 

But Al-Nassr's dominance was rewarded in the sixth minute of first-half injury time when Sadio Mane headed beyond Ibrahim Zaid after Sultan Al Ghannam's cross. 

However, the hosts stunned Pioli's side just after the hour-mark as Basil Al Sayyali turned home his second goal of the season with an emphatic finish off the crossbar.

Al-Nassr's frustrations continued heading into the closing stages as Mane, Mohammed Marran and Wesley saw their efforts repelled by their plucky opponents. 

But with the game poised for extra-time, a defensive mix-up between Saud Al Rashed and Zaid allowed Bu Washl to steal in, finishing into an empty net to send the visitors into the hat for the next round. 

Data Debrief: Pioli feels Ronaldo absence

Without Cristiano Ronaldo within their ranks, Al-Nassr lacked a clinical finisher at the top end of the pitch, failing to capitalise on the opportunities they created. 

The visitors ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 3.16, but only eight of their 21 shots were on target, whilst they also missed five big chances. 

Mane was the notable standout for Pioli's side, registering more touches in the opposition box (eight) and total shots (five) than anyone for Al-Nassr. 

Stefano Pioli won his first game in charge of Al-Nassr, with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Al-Ettifaq on Friday.

Cristiano Ronaldo netted the first goal of Pioli's reign as Al-Nassr picked up just their second win in the Saudi Pro League this season.

It was a fairly even first half until Abdullah Madu fouled Sultan Al Ghannam in the box, and Ronaldo made no mistake from 12 yards to put the visitors in front.

Angelo and Talisca were both denied by the goalkeeper before half-time, but Al-Nassr doubled their lead with the first shot of the second half, as Salem Al Najdi scored a delightful chip from a tight angle in the 56th minute.

Talisca did get his goal in the 70th minute, beating Marek Rodak for power with his low drive after being picked out by Sadio Mane.

Ronaldo almost got a second late on, but with just one minute remaining, he struck the woodwork with a long-range strike. 

Data Debrief: Pioli inspires total dominance

Al-Ettifaq were unbeaten coming into this game, but they offered little in terms of fight, mustering just six shots, two of which were on target, and created just 0.44 expected goals. 

Al-Nassr on the other hand, tested Rodak with half of their 14 shots on target (1.83 xG) - Talisca had the most (five) and was rewarded for it with his late goal.

It was Mane who pulled the strings though, creating four chances, and claiming two assists, while his 18 passes into the final third were the most of anyone on the pitch. 

Al-Nassr have appointed former Milan boss Stefano Pioli as their new head coach after parting company with Luis Castro, the Saudi Pro League club confirmed on Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo's side, who finished a distant second in the Pro League to unbeaten Al-Hilal last season, relieved Castro of his duties after taking five points from their first three games of 2024-25.

Al-Nassr have played out frustrating 1-1 draws with Al-Raed and Al-Ahli in their first two home games of the campaign, either side of beating AL-Feiha 4-1.

Pioli had been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia after leaving his role as head coach of Milan at the end of 2023-24, when the Rossoneri finished 19 points behind Serie A winners Inter.

"Pioli Is Nassrawi. We welcome Stefano Pioli as our new coach", read a post to the team's X account, with details of his contract not being announced.

Pioli previously led Milan to a surprise Scudetto triumph in 2021-22, and his first match in charge will see him face off against Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq on Friday.

Al Nassr are on the hunt for a new boss after dismissing head coach Luis Castro, the Saudi Pro League side confirmed on Tuesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. have struggled through an underwhelming start to the season, winning just one of their opening three league fixtures of the campaign.

The Riyadh club were also defeated in the Saudi Super Cup final 4-1 against champions Al Hilal last month.

Al Nassr have seen enough, swiftly moving to part ways with 63-year-old Castro, who previously took charge of Brazilian Serie A side Botafago.

"Everyone at AlNassr would like to thank Luis and his staff for their dedicated work during the past 14 months," the club said in a brief statement on social media.

Castro, a fellow Portugal compatriot to Ronaldo, led the club to lift the Arab Club Champions Cup last year, a competition contested by 37 teams from Asia and Africa.

However, Al Nassr finished second in the league last season, 14 points behind Jorge Jesus' Al Hilal, who were inspired by the goal-scoring exploits of Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Al Nassr drew 1-1 against Al Shorta of Iraq on Monday in the opening game of the AFC Champions League Elite, which proved to be Castro's final match at the helm.

Stefano Pioli, formerly of AC Milan, is one of Al Nassr's preferred replacements according to reports in local Saudi media.

Cristiano Ronaldo is capable of reaching 1,000 career goals as long as he continues to look after his body, according to Jorge Andrade.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner netted his 900th goal for club and country in Portugal's 2-1 Nations League win over Croatia on 5 September.

Ronaldo then added to his tally with a late winner in the 2-1 victory over Scotland three days later, setting him on his way to reaching the four-figure milestone.

Former Portugal star Jorge Andrade, speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal, backed his compatriot to do just that.

"With Cristiano Ronaldo, nothing is impossible," Andrade said to Stats Perform. 

"Since we've watched football, the idea of the 1,000 goals is associated with our great idol, Pele. 

"But nowadays, both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have managed to overcome other idols, Diego Maradona and Pele. 

"They managed to be the highlight of the football game in a short time. It's not surprising Ronaldo can break that record. He looks after his body. 

"He has a history of very few injuries. In terms of the Portuguese national team and the league he is in, he manages his efforts well."

Ronaldo has scored 132 of his goals for Portugal, with whom he won Euro 2016, while the other 769 have come at club level.

The 39-year-old has scored 68 times for current club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he has spent the past 20 months.

While Ronaldo continues to score freely in the Middle East, long-time rival Messi is now plying his trade in the United States with Inter Miami.

Andrade, best remembered for his time at Deportivo during his playing career, believes both deserve credit for taking on challenges elsewhere.

"The most important thing for them is that they share the experiences they have even in adverse environments," he said. 

"For example, Messi now plays in MLS. It's a difficult league; it's a league that doesn't have much visibility. 

"He managed to be there and increase visibility. Cristiano Ronaldo went to Saudi Arabia and it's a complicated environment. 

"He increased the visibility of that championship, making it attractive for other players to play who had just the five major leagues as the main goal to play.

"In other words, these two players have changed the world of football."

A Bassam Al-Hurayji own goal in the 100th minute of the match handed Al-Nassr a 1-1 draw against Al-Ahli and denied Ivan Toney a winning start to life in Saudi Arabia.

Franck Kessie looked to have won all three points for Al-Ahli with a wonderful effort from the outside of the box after 57 minutes, but Al-Nassr's pressure was rewarded late on when Al-Hurayji diverted Sultan Alghannam's cross into his own net.

The home side started the match well, with Sadio Mane seeing an early effort cleared off the line and Marcelo Brozovic testing Edouard Mendy from distance, but they were unable to find a way through in the first half.

Kessie had gone close just after the break, dragging his shot wide of the far post, but he was not to be denied a second time. He met a pullback on the edge of the box, opening his foot to send a wonderful effort into the top-left corner.

But Cristiano Ronaldo's side kept probing, with Talisca deflecting a shot wide of the far post before they eventually got on the scoresheet thanks to Al-Hurayji's attempted block.

Data Debrief: Al-Nassr continue scoring streak - just

After scoring in the closing stages, with a bit of luck, Al-Nassr have now scored in their last 22 Saudi Pro League matches, a feat which has not been achieved since March-December 2017, with the final match in that sequence also being against Al-Ahli.

Furthermore, they are now unbeaten in their last six matches against Al-Ahli, which equals the longest unbeaten streak in the fixture - their opponents once went six games unbeaten between 2011 and 2013, winning three and drawing three.

Another match, another landmark for Cristiano Ronaldo.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner insisted he still has more to offer at the international level this week, and he brought up 900 career goals by netting in Portugal's Nations League Nations League opener versus Croatia.

It was a typical poacher's finish that brought up Ronaldo's latest landmark, the forward beating his marker to Nuno Mendes' left-wing cross to sidefoot home and put Portugal 2-0 up inside the first half.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Ronaldo will now surely be targeting the big 1,000, though Pele's FIFA-recognised figure of 1,281 goals will surely prove beyond the 39-year-old.

As Ronaldo plots a route to four figures, we dive into the Opta data to look at how he reached his current total, highlighting the most interesting facts and figures.

Ronaldo's 900th career goal was also his 131st in 213 appearances for Portugal, with both of those figures being all-time records both for the Selecao and for any male player on the international stage.

The ultimate goal poacher, he has scored 109 of those from inside the penalty area, though only 20 have come from the penalty spot – he memorably missed his last spot-kick for the Selecao, versus Slovenia in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.

Ronaldo struggled at this year's tournament in Germany, where he had 23 shots but failed to find the net – the first time he has not scored at a major international competition. Only fellow Portugal great Deco has ever had more efforts at a single edition of the Euros without scoring, firing off 24 shots without success at the 2004 tournament.

However, Ronaldo does boast 22 goals at the World Cup/Euros for Portugal overall, winning the Golden Boot with five strikes at Euro 2020, five years on from captaining the Selecao to their maiden trophy. Only two of those, though, have come in knockout matches – versus the Netherlands at Euro 2004 and Wales at Euro 2016.

Still, Ronaldo's international legacy speaks for itself, and his achievements on the club stage are even more impressive.

Ronaldo scored five times for boyhood club Sporting CP before leaving for Manchester United, for whom he plundered 145 goals across two separate spells.

He has broken three figures with all but two of his clubs, netting 101 times for Juventus and being well on the way to doing so with Al-Nassr, for whom he has 68 goals. 

It was at Real Madrid, however, where Ronaldo earned his goal machine tag, scoring exactly half his career goals (450) for Los Blancos and helping them win the Champions League four times.

He is the leading goalscorer in Madrid's illustrious history, some 96 clear of former team-mate Karim Benzema (354), who represented the club 648 times, compared to Ronaldo's 438 appearances.

Overall, Ronaldo has scored 573 of his goals with his favoured right foot, with 173 coming via his left and almost as many – 152 – coming via headers, with his aerial prowess becoming increasingly notable throughout his career.  

What about dead balls? Ronaldo has converted 164 penalties for club and country, including a spot-kick in the 2014 Champions League final versus Atletico Madrid.

Ronaldo's free-kick taking has been an area targeted by those looking to do down on his achievements at times, but he has scored 64 direct free-kick goals throughout his career, the latest coming in a 4-1 win over Al-Fayha in the Saudi Pro League before the turn of the month.

Where, then, do Ronaldo's achievements rank versus those of his peers? Drum roll please... Ronaldo is currently some 62 goals ahead of his great rival Lionel Messi, who has 838 career strikes for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami and Argentina.  

With Ronaldo firing on all cylinders in Saudi Arabia and looking unlikely to give up the ghost at international level any time soon, few would bet against him extending that advantage before the two greats hang up their boots.

Angelo Gabriel has completed a permanent transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr from Chelsea. 

Angelo has signed a five-year contract with the Saudi outfit, who are captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, for a reported £19.4million transfer fee. 

Chelsea have also included a sell-on clause as part of their agreement with Al-Nassr.

The 19-year-old Brazilian arrived at Stamford Bridge last year from Santos in a £13m deal, but spent last campaign on loan with Strasbourg. 

He made 25 appearances in all competitions, notching four assists, but only 11 of his 22 league outings came as starts as he missed the end of the term with a groin injury. 

Angelo became the 11th permanent departure from the club as the Blues ended their transfer window with a net spend of £46.5m. 

Angelo Gabriel has completed a permanent transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr from Chelsea. 

Angelo has signed a five-year contract with the Saudi outfit, who are captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, for a reported £19.4million transfer fee. 

Chelsea have also included a sell-on clause as part of their agreement with Al-Nassr.

The 19-year-old Brazilian arrived at Stamford Bridge last year from Santos in a £13m deal, but spent last campaign on loan with Strasbourg. 

He made 25 appearances in all competitions, notching four assists, but only 11 of his 22 league outings came as starts as he missed the end of the term with a groin injury. 

Angelo became the 11th permanent departure from the club as the Blues ended their transfer window with a net spend of £46.5m. 

Talica was twice on target and Cristiano Ronaldo managed another goal and assist as Al Nassr swept Al Fayha aside with a 4-1 away victory in the Saudi Pro League.

The Portugal international needed just five minutes to tee up Brazilian team-mate Talisca, who added the second of his account late on in the match at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.

Ronaldo got on the scoresheet himself in first-half stoppage time, with Marcelo Brozovic also on target before Fashon Sakala's 86th-minute consolation finish on Tuesday.

Victory marks Al Nassr's first win of the new league season after being held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Al Raed in their opener.

Data Debrief: Al Nassr dominance continues

Al Fayha are now winless in their last 111 Pro League matches against Al Nassr (D3 L8), their longest current winless streak against any opponent.

Luis Castro's side, by contrast, have scored in their last 21 league outings, their longest such run since a streak between December 2019 to October 2020.

Cristiano Ronaldo says Al-Nassr could well be the last club of his career before he retires.

Ronaldo made the move to the Saudi Pro League during the 2022-23, after he was released by Manchester United, and has since scored 74 goals in 81 games in all competitions for Al-Nassr, averaging a goal every 97 minutes.

Last season, Ronaldo broke the record for the most goals in a Saudi Pro League season, scoring 35.

At the age of 39, Ronaldo has no plans to retire just yet, but he suggested he is likely to bring the curtain down on his trophy-laden career at his current club.

He told Portuguese channel NOW: "I don't know if I'll finish soon or in two or three years. But, possibly, it will be at Al-Nassr.

"It's the team where I'm happy, where I'm good, where I feel good, both in the country and in the league.

"That's why, most likely I can finish my career at Al-Nassr. I'm very happy to play in the league and I want to continue."

Despite a difficult Euros, in which Ronaldo could not find the target in any of his five matches and had the most shots in the tournament without scoring, the veteran reiterated his desire to continue representing Portugal.

"When I leave the national team, I won't tell anyone in advance and it will be a very spontaneous decision on my part, but also a very well thought-out one”, Ronaldo said.

"Right now what I want is to be able to help the national team in their upcoming matches. We have the Nations League ahead of us and I would really like to play."

Asked if he could take a step into coaching, Ronaldo said: "At the moment, I'm not thinking about being a coach of the first team or any team.

"It doesn't even cross my mind, I've never thought about it. I don't see my future going through that. I see myself doing other things outside of football, but only God knows what the future holds."

Cristiano Ronaldo was denied a late winner as Al-Nassr were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Raed on the opening day of the Saudi Pro League.

Mohammed Fouzair equalised from the spot at the start of the second half, cancelling out the 39-year-old's first-half goal at Al Awal Park on Thursday.

Al-Nassr dominated the opening exchanges, and when the visitors struggled to clear their lines from a corner, Ronaldo towered over everyone in the box to nod home Sadio Mane's delivery.

They found themselves on the backfoot minutes into the second half though - Amir Sayoud's curling shot was saved, but Fouzair was dragged back by Aymeric Laporte when he tried to reach the rebound, resulting in the defender receiving a straight red card.

After a VAR review, the card was downgraded to a yellow and a penalty was awarded to Al-Raed. Fouzair then made no mistake from 12 yards, picking out the bottom-right corner.

Talisca struck the post as Al-Nassr searched for a winner, and Ronaldo thought he had found one with just under 15 minutes left. He curved his run in behind the defence to poke past Meshari Sunyur, who had looked unbeatable, but the forward was offside, and it did not count.

The hosts were unable to join Al-Taawoun on three points at the top of the table after their win earlier on Thursday. 

Data Debrief: Fine margins deny Ronaldo

After suffering disappointment in the Saudi Super Cup last weekend, Al-Nassr would have been keen to get off to a winning start in the league.

And they came close. They dominated throughout the game, having 28 shots to Al-Raed's seven, generating 2.18 expected goals.

Ronaldo now has 36 goals in the Saudi Pro League and was denied a 37th by the closest of margins in a frustrating day for the hosts.