A surprise Turkish offer: will Ronaldo score his 1,000th goal away from Al-Nassr?
Press reports have dropped a heavyweight surprise, after revealing the possibility that Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr, could move to the Turkish league during the upcoming winter transfer window.
Ronaldo's contract with Al-Nassr expires at the end of the current season, giving him the right to sign for any club during the upcoming winter transfer window and move for free the following summer.
Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu revealed, in a video on YouTube's "KAFA Sports" channel, that an intermediary agent had canvassed the opinion of Turkish league clubs on signing Ronaldo in the upcoming winter window.
Should that happen, Ronaldo could score the 1000th goal of his career away from the Saudi league and Al-Nassr. That is the milestone the club's fans had hoped to witness in their own colours.
The "Madeira Rocket" has scored 985 goals in his career to date. He needs just 15 more to become the first player in the history of football to reach 1000.
All this comes at a time when the Portuguese star's name is not linked with any departure from Al-Nassr, where he is spending his fourth season, competing for the Roshn League, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, the AFC Champions League Elite and the Saudi Super Cup.
Al-Nassr sit third in the Saudi league table with 28 points, two behind leaders Al-Hilal and behind second-placed Al-Qadsiah on goal difference.
In continental action, "Al-Alami" occupy seventh in the West group of the AFC Champions League Elite with 6 points, collected from two wins and a single defeat, with a postponed match remaining against the UAE's Al-Wasl.
They also booked a place in the round of 16 of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, beating Al-Diriyah 4-1 in the Riyadh derby. Next up is Al-Khaleej on Monday 11 January, at Al-Awwal Park in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
In the Saudi Super Cup in Kuwait, Al-Nassr are preparing to face Al-Khaleej once more, on 19 December, in the semi-final. Win that, and they meet the qualifier from the other tie between Al-Ahli and Al-Qadsiah on the 23rd of the same month.
The transfer talk emerged shortly after Cristiano Ronaldo announced his international retirement, ending 23 years with the Portugal national team that began with his debut in 2003.
Ronaldo closed the book on his country's shirt after a crisis that gripped sporting circles during the last international break and raised questions about his relationship with his coach Jorge Jesus.
He ended his international journey after 234 matches, scoring 146 goals and lifting three titles with his national team. The most notable was the "Euro 2016" European Championship, alongside two UEFA Nations League crowns in 2019 and 2025.
