Cristiano Ronaldo scores stunning bicycle kick for Al-Nassr on road to 1,000-goal barrier | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo provided a timely reminder of his age-defying quality as he scored a stunning bicycle kick for Al-Nassr on Sunday.

The 40-year-old, rolling back the years, rose in the middle of the penalty box to meet Nawaf Boushal’s delivery from the right before acrobatically converting to rubber stamp his side’s 4-1 win over Al-Khaleej in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

It took Ronaldo one goal closer to breaking the 1,000-goal barrier, with the spectacular strike acting as his 954th goal of his career.

Cristiano Ronaldo wheels away in celebration after scoring a bicycle kick (AFP via Getty Images)

The goal was reminiscent of the famous overhead kick he scored in the Champions League quarter-final against Juventus in 2018, a year that saw Real Madrid claim their 13th European crown.

Capping off a convincing Al-Nassr display that also saw Joao Felix, Sadio Mane and Wesley get on the scoresheet, the win took the Riyadh-based club four points clear of rivals Al-Hilal.

It marked a happy return to club football from a rather more unsatisfactory international break for Ronaldo, who was ridiculed for his straight red card against Ireland in Portugal’s 2-1 loss in World Cup qualifying.

While Portugal still managed to seal automatic qualification to next year’s finals, the fact Ronaldo was sent off for violent conduct - elbowing Dara O’Shea in the back - means he will likely be suspended for three games and thus miss the first two group stage games of the World Cup.

Presuming the Portugal captain goes to the tournament, he will become the first male player ever to participate at six World Cups.