Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to his dead father with an emotional celebration after scoring for Al Nassr on Monday night.
The 39-year-old netted a stunning winner in the 2-1 victory over Al Rayyan in the AFC Champions League.
It secured yet another landmark for Ronaldo, who has now registered more goals in his thirties than in his twenties.
The Portugal sensation has bagged 441 times in 523 games since turning 30.
But it was a different birthday that Ronaldo chose to mark on Monday.
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Ronaldo, known for his trademark ‘Siuu’ celebration, appeared emotional as he pointed to the sky after finding the top corner.
Speaking afterwards, he said: “Today’s goal has a different flavour… I wish my father was alive because today is his birthday.”
His father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, died aged 51 in 2005 and yesterday would have been his 71st birthday.
Ronaldo was only 20 when his father passed away, meaning Dinis did not get to see his son become one of the greatest footballers in history.
Dinis was a soldier who served in Africa and struggled with an alcohol problem thereafter.
As a result, Ronaldo was not close with his father and previously addressed their distant relationship during an emotional interview with Piers Morgan.
The Talk TV host showed Ronaldo a clip of his father praising him on Norwegian TV shortly before dying.
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Responding to the clip, a teary Ronaldo said: “I never saw that video. Unbelievable.
“I think the interview would be funny, I didn’t expect to cry.
“But I never saw these images. I don’t know where you… I have to have these images to show my family.
Watch Cristiano Ronaldo score his 903rd career goal as he scores yet again for Al Nassr
“I really don’t know my father 100 per cent. He was a drunk person. I never spoke with him, like a normal conversation. It was hard.
“To be the number one and he don’t see nothing, and he don’t see to receive awards, to see what I became.”
Ronaldo went on to become a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, five-time Champions League winner, Euro 2016 champion, and arguably the greatest goalscorer of all-time.
His strike on Monday night was the 904th of his career, and although Brazil icon Pele is officially credited with 1,281 goals by FIFA, it is widely accepted that hundreds of those goals came in non-competitive matches.
Ronaldo will turn 40 on February 5 next year but has no plans to retire.
Instead, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star is setting his sights on the next landmark.
“I want to reach 1,000 goals,” Ronaldo said recently on his YouTube channel.
“For me it’s the best mark that I can have in football, to reach, first 900 goals. After, my challenge is 1,000 goals.
“With one difference, all the goals that I score, they have video. So I can prove that it’s [real].”
