At 39 years of age, the evergreen Portugal international is showing no sign of slowing down just yet. He hit 50 goals for his Saudi employers last season and has been back on target for club and country in 2024-25 – with more history being made along the way.

Ronaldo’s latest outing saw him net the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Al Rayyan in the AFC Champions League, with said strike recorded on the day that would have seen his father – who passed away in 2005 – turn 71.

An emotional Ronaldo told reporters afterwards of exploits that continue to amaze and need to be savoured before retirement becomes an option that can no longer be avoided: “We had an excellent performance, we created a lot of chances. Today's goal had a different flavour, I would have loved my father to be alive because today is his birthday.

“I still love playing football and I know I don't have much time left on the pitch. The most important thing is not to be considered the best player or to win awards. The important thing is to enjoy it and to be useful to the club and the national team. Records are part of me and I'm used to breaking them. I've felt pressure since the first day and I think I will feel it until the last.”

Ronaldo has no intention of hanging up his boots any time soon, with the plan being to reach 1,000 career goals before walking away. He does, however, have some big decisions to make on his future – with his contract at Al-Nassr due to expire in 2025, while questions have been asked of his ability to reach the 2026 World Cup with Portugal.