Rio Ferdinand reacts to Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice in 3-1 Al-Nassr win over Al-Gharafa

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand reacted to his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo nettng a brace in Al-Nassr’s 3-1 win at Al-Gharafa in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday (November 25).

Having scored in his team’s 2-1 Saudi Pro League home defeat to Al-Qadisiyah at the weekend, the 39-year-old was at it again at the Al-Bayt Stadium. After a goalless first half, Ronaldo drew first blood in the 46th minute before Angelo Gabriel put the visitors two goals to the good 12 minutes later.

Ronaldo completed his brace in the 64th minute before Joselu (75′) pulled one back for Al-Gharafa. However, it was too little too late for the hosts as Stefano Pioli’s side returned to winning ways.

After opening their continental campaign with a 1-1 draw at Al-Shorta, Ronaldo and Co. have now won four games on the trot. They are two points behind leaders Al-Ahli Saudi in the Group B standings after five games.

Al-Alami posted a picture of Ronaldo celebrating one of his goal, with Ferdinand simply commenting with a GOAT emoji.

Here’s the screenshot of Ferdinand’s comment:

The brace took Ronaldo’s career tally to 913 strikes for club and country, a record mark in the game’s history.

Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo scores 450th goal after turning 30

Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s second goal against Al-Gharafa on Monday was his 450th strike for club and country after turning 30. He scored 23 times as a teen and 440 between the ages of 20 and 29.

It also means that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has now scored 10 more goals in his 30s than he did in his 20s. For context, his arch-rival Lionel Messi – another player widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time – netted 565 times for club and country by the time he turned 30. Now 37, Messi has added 285 more goals to his kitty during his 30s.

Coming back to Ronaldo, the Portugal captain has netted 13 times and provided three assists in 17 games across competitions for Al-Nassr this season. That includes seven goals and two assists in 10 games in the Saudi Pro League, where Pioli’s side trail leaders Al-Ittihad by eight points after 11 rounds of matches.

Ronaldo and Co. will next be in action against Damac at home in the Saudi Pro League on Friday (November 29).

Edited by Bhargav