It isn’t often that one sees Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the finest footballers of all time, score free-kick goals. More often than not, Ronaldo‘s attempts are found missing the target but that wasn’t the case on Tuesday. As Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr took on Al-Feiha in a Saudi Pro League match, the Portuguese forward brought his A-game to the fore. Though scoring goals isn’t something that Ronaldo has to struggle with, but his consistency in putting the ball into the back of the net from dead-ball situations had dried over the last few years. But, against Al-Feiha, Ronaldo found his mojo back.

The free-kick goal also marked Ronaldo’s 899th career goal, leaving him just one goal shy of the historic 900-mark. Ronaldo already has 130 goals for his country at the international stage, putting him at the absolute top of the standings.

Ronaldo’s approach towards the free-kick goal was also intriguing. The 39-year-old usually takes a few steps back and tries to hit the ball with power. However, against goalkeeper Abdulraouf Al-Duqayl stunned, he opted for a more measured approach. This time, it was more about beating the goalkeeper by sheer placement and precision. Ronaldo executed that to perfection, scoring his 64th career goal through a free-kick.

This was also Ronaldo’s 53rd free-kick goal in club football, putting him just one goal shy of arch-rival Lionel Messi‘s tally. When it comes to the national teams, both Messi and Ronaldo have scored on 11 occasions each. Here’s the goal from another angle:

In a recent interview, Ronaldo had spoken about the 1000-goal milestone that he intends to reach in his career. Already sitting on 899 goals, however, Ronaldo would need his body to help him quite a lot if he is to reach the historic landmark.

“It’s going to be pretty tough, but it’s about seeing how I am mentally, my motivation. If, physically, my legs treat me as well as I treat them? We’ll see, they are small stages. Until I get to 1,000, first I have to get to 900. I think I’ll get there,” Ronaldo had said about the record.

“If you look at my career for the last 20 years, my level is high. If you are top for 20 years, it’s unbelievable. I do that and I continue to do that. For me, it’s a big achievement,” he had said.

Courtesy of Ronaldo 899th career goal, Al-Nassr secured a 4-1 win against Al-Feiha.

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