We’re delighted to announce that Cristiano Ronaldo has turned into Scott McTominay | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo rolled back the years with a spectacular overhead kick for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Sunday.

As dedicated Planet Football followers, you might be aware that we spend a lot of our time writing about Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

This editorial decision is more than just prostrating ourselves for the algorithm, begging for a crumb of traffic. It reflects how these two global superstars still capture the imagination of billions across the planet.

But we’ve noticed a subtle difference in how we write about the pair.

Messi’s moments of brilliance are typically described with loving and creative language, while Ronaldo’s relentless march to 1000 goals is presented solely in stats and tables with minimal flair.

Happily, his 954th career goal was something spectacular and has inspired us to dust off the thesaurus.

Contorting his body like Play-Doh, Ronaldo rose to meet an injury-time cross against Al Khaleej with a jaw-dropping overhead kick.

Even thinking about attempting such athleticism has made us snap a hamstring. Ronaldo’s dedication to health and fitness enabled him to pull off the feat with a stretch-and-a-yawn.

The goalkeeper made an effort to save the shot in vain. The Al Nassr crowd marvelled at what they had just witnessed as Ronaldo performed his usual celebration.

Just as his new bestie, Donald Trump, changed up his wardrobe after meeting Zohran Mamdani, the Portuguese superstar has clearly been inspired by Scott McTominay’s acrobatic stunner against Denmark.

If Ronaldo starts growing his hair and carrying an espresso as his new accessory, we’re claiming credit for identifying the transformation first.

As part of celebrations for the goal, Ronaldo was ‘crowned’ by his team-mate Salem Al-Najdi, who placed an agal – a traditional Saudi headwear component – on his head.

Life has a way of sobering you up after you’ve been lost in the fog of something beautiful. For this, we must thank Al-Najdj for his service.

The goal capped off an eventful few weeks for the 40-year-old. Aside from meeting Trump in the White House, Ronaldo was sent off in Portugal’s defeat to the Republic of Ireland.

The red card, Ronaldo’s first for his country, means he’s in danger of missing Portugal’s opening match at the World Cup next summer.

He has already served a mandatory one-match ban but the violent conduct shown when elbowing Ireland defender Dara O’Shea means it could be upgraded to a two-match ban.

But his immediate mission will be winning his first Saudi league title; Ronaldo has enjoyed limited success since completing a high-profile move to Al Nassr at the beginning of 2023.

The Arab Club Champions Cup is the only piece of team silverware the team has won, but Al Nassr are top of the Saudi Pro League after nine matches.

Time is running out for Ronaldo to achieve these goals, with the player himself recently admitting that the day he stops playing football is coming soon.

“I’m really enjoying the moment right now. As you know, in football, when you reach some age, you count the months very quick,” Ronaldo said earlier this month.

“I feel very good in this moment. I score goals, I still feel quick and sharp. I’m enjoying my game in the national team. But of course, let’s be honest. What I mean by soon is probably one or two years.”

There are sure to be more twists and turns in the final stage of Ronaldo’s career, both with Al Nassr and Portugal.

But one thing is clear to the detractors claiming his move to Saudi Arabia was for stat-padding purposes only; this was one hell of a tap-in.