'He scores easy goals!' - Al-Hilal legend Mohamed Al-Deayea downplays Cristiano Ronaldo's latest hat-trick and names Joao Felix the real 'heart and soul' of Al-Nassr
Former Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea has dismissed Cristiano Ronaldo's latest treble for Al-Nassr by claiming the veteran striker relies heavily on his team-mates for tap-ins. Instead, the retired shot-stopper believes fellow Portugal international Joao Felix was the true catalyst behind Thursday's 5-3 league win over Al-Kholood.
Portuguese duo inspire Riyadh victory
Ronaldo netted a second-half treble inside 15 minutes while Felix registered four assists as the Riyadh giants defeated Al-Kholood at Al-Awwal Park on Thursday night. After Julien Domingues opened the scoring in the 16th minute, strikes from Angelo Gabriel and Sadio Mane were cancelled out by Antoine Essomba's first-half stoppage-time equaliser. However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner struck in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes to seal victory.
Playmaker outshines prolific veteran captain
That quickfire salvo - comprising two close-range finishes either side of a header - marked the 41-year-old's seventh treble for Al-Nassr since arriving in 2023 and the 67th of his career across spells with Real Madrid (44), Portugal (10), Manchester United (three) and Juventus (three). Celebrating the result afterwards, Ronaldo posted on social media: "Great win, great team performance. Happy to help with a hat-trick!"
However, former Al-Hilal custodian Al-Deayea felt Felix deserved the plaudits after pulling the strings in round 12 of the Saudi Pro League. Speaking on the television programme Dawrina Ghair, Al-Deayea said: "This player [Felix] is an asset to the Saudi League as a whole, not just to Al-Nassr. He is a starter for the Portugal national team, possesses every quality required of a top player, and can perform across multiple attacking positions. He is the heart and soul of the team - with all due respect to Cristiano Ronaldo, who scores easy goals thanks to the service provided by the wingers."
Winter transfer warning accompanies praise
Thursday's haul lifted the Madeira native to 985 career goals - moving him 49 clear of second-placed Lionel Messi on 936 and just 15 away from reaching the unprecedented 1,000 landmark. Yet Al-Deayea warned that potential January reinforcements could complicate his pursuit of that milestone before analysing how Al-Kholood's conservative second-half tactics backfired.
Continuing his assessment on the show, the former Saudi international remarked: "If Cristiano doesn't score 15 goals before the winter window and the club goes on to sign a new striker, he won't be able to break the 1,000-goal mark.
"Al-Nassr's win over Al-Kholood was expected. During the first half, the Yellows scored two goals from about six chances, whereas Al-Kholood made the most of their only two opportunities to score twice.
"Al-Kholood dropping deep to defend in the second half was completely natural against Al-Nassr's attacking firepower. You simply cannot hold out against them and protect a 2-2 draw. Cristiano did his part and should have had five goals today were it not for two strikes being ruled out for offside.
"Al-Nassr deserved the victory and all three points. Al-Kholood attempted to preserve the draw by sitting back in the second half, and when you retreat like that, you are bound to concede plenty of goals."
Historic scoring landmark edges closer
Victory at Al-Awwal Park keeps Al-Nassr second in the Saudi Pro League standings on 28 points after 12 matches as they maintain pressure on the summit. Moving forward, Ronaldo will look to carry his prolific domestic form into the upcoming November schedule for both club and country. Requiring just 15 more strikes to hit four figures, the veteran forward could reach the historic 1,000-goal mark before the turn of the year.
