Highlights of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr hat-trick prove he's not finished, it was a masterclass
Anyone who thought that Cristiano Ronaldo was finished after he moved to Saudi Arabia has been left red-faced after his latest performance.
Ronaldo brought an end to his 20-year playing career in Europe when he joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in December.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner made headlines by becoming the highest paid player on the planet - although he has now been usurped by new Al-Hilal signing and former Barcelona adversary Neymar.
Not many people expected Ronaldo to make waves with his performances, but he has set about proving that he is still one of the best around.
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Al-Nassr narrowly missed out on the Saudi Pro League title last season, but this term Ronaldo has already added the Arab Club Champions Cup trophy to his silverware collection.
However, despite Al-Nassr signing Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Otavio, Seko Fofana and Aymeric Laporte this summer, Ronaldo's side began the current season with two losses.
Things look to be on the up-turn though, as Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to inspire his side to a 5-0 win against Al Fateh on Friday.
The 38-year-old began his superb performance by providing a brilliant backheel assist for Mane to open the scoring in the first half.
Three goals, one assist.
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) August 25, 2023
A big performance from @Cristiano 🔥⚽#yallaRSL #RoshnSaudiLeague pic.twitter.com/pM9bJ8uFl5
Ten minutes later he rolled back the years when he produced a trademark leap to head home Al-Nassr's second.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star then scored two tap-ins in the second half to secure his hat-trick and Al-Nassr's first league win of the season.
The star's all-round game was impressive too - he completed 30 of 32 attempted passes and created three chances for his teammates.
The three goals were CR7's first strikes of the league campaign, propelling him up to second place in the scoring charts.
Only Al-Ittihad striker Abderrazak Hamdallah has scored more goals this term, having netted on four occasions.
After finding his shooting boots, Ronaldo will hope to fire his side up the table after a rocky start.
Al-Nassr are currently tenth in the standings with three points from three games, six points behind table toppers Al-Ittihad.
Topics: Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Saudi Pro League, Saudi Arabia
Alex Brotherton