Cristiano Ronaldo makes triumphant return with brace in Al-Nassr victory

Riyadh. Football star Cristiano Ronaldo has made a spectacular return to the pitch following his injury. The 41-year-old Portuguese forward scored two goals in Friday's Saudi Pro League match against Al-Najma, leading his team, Al-Nassr, to a commanding 5–2 victory. 

Having been sidelined for over a month due to a hamstring injury, Ronaldo showcased his magic in his very first game back in the starting eleven. He gave Al-Nassr the lead by converting a penalty in the 56th minute. He then secured the team's victory by scoring his second goal of the match in the 73rd minute. 

With these two goals, Ronaldo's official career goal tally has reached 967. He is now just 33 goals away from becoming the first player in history to reach 1,000 career goals. Alongside Ronaldo, former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane also scored twice, helping Al-Nassr secure an easy win.

Ronaldo, who was injured during the match against Al-Fayha on February 28, had spent time in Spain for his treatment. Due to the injury, he had to miss three league matches for his club and friendly matches for Portugal against Mexico and the United States. 

Following this victory, Al-Nassr has extended its lead at the top of the league table to 6 points. Since joining the Saudi club in December 2022, Ronaldo is now nearing his first major title.

In the race for the league's top scorer, Ronaldo is currently in third place. He is only two goals behind the leader, Ivan Toney. Expressing his happiness on Instagram after the match, Ronaldo wrote that he is 'happy to be back on the pitch' and looks forward to 'moving forward with the team'.