Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick against Al-Kholood has reopened the debate surrounding his official career goal tally, as tracking outlets remain divided over the credit for a previous goal scored by the Portuguese superstar.
The Al-Nassr captain led his side to a 5-3 victory on Thursday evening; however, the statistical discrepancy accompanying his pursuit of the 1,000-goal milestone stems from a fixture played prior to his latest hat-trick.
Ronaldo reached 985 career goals according to the official count adopted by the Saudi Pro League (SPL), whereas other statistical platforms continue to list his tally one goal lower due to a disagreement with the league regarding a goal scored against Al-Faisaly.
The incident dates back to the October 23 match, which ended in a 3-1 victory for Al-Nassr, when João Félix delivered a free-kick that Ronaldo leaped to meet before the ball crossed the line amid a challenge from Brazilian defender Andrei Girotto, prompting the Portuguese forward to celebrate his 982nd career goal.
Referee Abdullah Al-Owaidan officially credited the goal to Ronaldo in his post-match report, while several statistical databases cataloged the touch as an own goal by Girotto—creating the one-goal margin that persists following his hat-trick against Al-Kholood.
The review process extended beyond the referee’s initial report; Tariq Kayal, Chairman of the SPL’s Compliance Committee, clarified in statements published by Arriyadiyah on October 26 that the committee requested the referee’s official deposition and analyzed all match reports before submitting a final recommendation to the league for formal ratification.
Kayal stated: “We are awaiting the referee’s statement on Monday and will review all reports. If satisfied, we will approve or overturn the decision to log the correct verdict, then submit it to the League for ratification,” emphasizing that the committee’s decision would be final and non-appealable.
Regarding the final verdict, a decisive development emerged prior to the Al-Kholood clash; Kooora reported on October 29, citing journalist Abdulaziz Al-Muraysel, that the Compliance Committee officially confirmed the goal in Ronaldo’s name after completing due diligence and consulting the referee, with the player personally notified of the decision.
Consequently, the latest published updates indicate that the domestic review concluded in favor of the Portuguese icon, supported by official SPL coverage confirming his tally at 985 goals following his hat-trick. The persistence of the lower figure on third-party statistical sites does not reflect a Saudi ruling to strip the goal.
Ultimately, official governing bodies hold the sole authority to certify goal tallies rather than statistical platforms, placing Cristiano Ronaldo just 15 goals away from reaching the historic 1,000-goal milestone.
