Al Nassr continued their flawless start to the Saudi Pro League season by racking up an impressive 4-1 win over Al Khaleej on Sunday, a resounding result in which Cristiano Ronaldo and several of the club’s other marquee signings were among the goals.
With João Félix and Sadio Mané already on the score sheet, Ronaldo capped off the victory in the 96th minute in flamboyant fashion. Defying the years and the creaking joints, the 40-year-old superstar took to the air and unleashed a fantastic overhead kick to flesh out the rout.
Al Khaleej goalkeeper Anthony Moris actually appeared to get two hands on Ronaldo’s effort but even that wasn’t enough to prevent the ball from hitting the back of the net.
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The acrobatic effort, the 954th goal of Ronaldo’s career to date, ensured that Al Nassr have now won all nine of their opening league fixtures to go four points clear at the top of the table.
It was also, by our count, the fourth spectacular overhead kick in the five-time Ballon d’Or-winners’ vast back catalogue of goals. Here’s how it ranks alongside the other entries in his grand pantheon of similarly acrobatic strikes.
Honorable mention
One effort that might well have been top of the chart, had it not been disallowed, came for Portugal in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Azerbaijan on Oct. 7, 2006. Ronaldo flicked the ball over his own shoulder before rattling a bicycle kick in off the underside of the bar. However, as this was in the days before any goal-line technology was available to assist, let alone VAR, the officials somehow failed to see the ball had clearly crossed the line. Ronaldo scored two of his side’s goals in the 3-0 win in Porto, but was denied a memorable hat trick.
4. PORTUGAL vs Faroe Islands (Aug. 31 2017)
¡Qué golazo de @Crisitano! Un gran tijereta para que #CR7 anote su gol número 12 en las #EuroQualifiers.
@johnlaguna3 @aizquierdo10 pic.twitter.com/b97JnowMMu— FOX Deportes (@FOXDeportes) August 31, 2017
Not technically an “overhead” kick, due to the diagonal orientation of Ronaldo’s body as he executes it. But, nevertheless, the Portugal forward left terra firma to connect with this exquisite scissor kick and open the scoring roughly two minutes into a 5-1 drubbing of the Faroes in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
3. PORTUGAL vs Poland (Nov. 15, 2024)
Almost exactly a year prior to his heroics in the Saudi league, Ronaldo mustered two goals for his country in a 5-1 crushing of Poland in the UEFA Nations League group stage — the second of which being this leaping volley that he diverted past the goalkeeper from close range.
2. AL NASSR vs Al Khaleej (Nov. 23, 2025)
The latest addition to Ronaldo’s overhead collection, the 40-year-old put the icing on a thumping 4-1 win over Al-Khaleej in fitting style with this outrageous, age-defying airborne effort.
1. REAL MADRID vs Juventus (April 3, 2018)
Without doubt the most memorable overhead kick of Ronaldo’s career came during the 2017-18 Champions League when Real Madrid beat Juventus 3-0 in the first leg of their quarterfinal clash. Ronaldo scored the final goal of the tie with a truly exhilarating overhead kick, scuttling back from a deep position to let fly with a monstrous volley that left Gianluigi Buffon rooted to the spot. Unsurprisingly, the goal was voted the best of the tournament by UEFA.
