Rio Ferdinand makes feelings clear with sarcastic comment after Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice in 3-1 Al-Nassr win

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has reacted after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace for Al-Nassr in their win over Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, December 27.

The Englishman was replying to journalist Fabrizio Romano, who posted an update of the match after the final whistle. The former defender sarcastically said it was a shock that Ronaldo continued to perform well on the pitch despite turning 40 earlier this year.

The win saw Al-Nassr create history, becoming the first team to win their first 10 league matches of the season. They are now four points clear of second-placed Al-Hilal, who edged out a 3-2 win over Al-Khaleej on Friday, December 26.

The brace today helped Cristiano Ronaldo take his career tally to 956 goals. He is now inching closer to his dream of scoring 1000 goals, a milestone he set for himself while he was talking to Ferdinand in 2024. He said (via ESPN)

"I want to reach 1,000 goals. If I don't have any injuries, this for me is the most important [thing], I want that. For me, the best mark that I can have in football is to reach, first, 900 goals. After, my challenge is to be at 1,000 goals."

Ronaldo also took a cheeky dig at Pele, saying that he wanted to ensure all his goals had a video record and added:

"All the goals I have scored, they have video. They all have video. Listen, I respect all of them [Pele and Di Stefano]. And if you want more goals, I can bring them from training, too. And I will prove to the people after. They prefer this player, or this is the best one. I don't care about that."

Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored 12 goals in 10 Saudi Pro League matches this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo backed to score 1000 goals by Roberto Martinez

Portugal national team boss Roberto Martinez spoke to Marca earlier this week, backing Cristiano Ronaldo to reach his 1000-goal target. He claimed that the Portuguese superstar was unlikely to stop at the milestone and added (via O Jogo):

"He is in a very good moment of his career. And he achieved this because he lives day by day. When he talks about his goals, he strays far from the long term: reaching 1000, playing a certain number of games... Your secret is to be the best today and enjoy the day to day. So, the number will be a consequence of the day he decides to stop. I don't think it's a goal."

Cristiano Ronaldo has extended his contract until 2027 at Al-Nassr, giving him at least another 18 months to score the 44 goals for club and country.

Edited by Sripad