Ronaldo Hits Hat-Trick as Al-Nassr Thrash Rio Ave in Pre-Season Clash

Cristiano Ronaldo rolled back the years with a dazzling hat-trick to inspire Al-Nassr to a 4–0 win over Rio Ave in a pre-season friendly at the Estadio do Algarve on Wednesday night, Sport360NG reports.

The Portuguese superstar, now 40, delivered a ruthless display of finishing that underlined his enduring quality at the highest level. After Mohamed Simakan had put Al-Nassr ahead in the 15th minute, Ronaldo took centre stage.

He drew first blood late in the opening half, racing onto João Félix’s incisive pass before rifling a shot inside the near post. After the break, he doubled his tally with a precise strike from inside the box, then completed his treble from the penalty spot, making amends for an earlier missed spot-kick by Sadio Mané. Each goal was met with his trademark “Siuuu” celebration, much to the delight of the crowd.

Commentators were quick to hail the veteran forward’s impact, with FotMob describing him as “still dominating at 40,” while NDTV Sports praised his sharpness and hunger across the 90 minutes.

The match also showcased a promising link-up between Ronaldo and Félix, with Spanish outlet AS noting that the pair “looked dangerous every time they combined,” hinting at an exciting attacking partnership for the season ahead.

The emphatic win sets a confident tone for Al-Nassr’s next assignments, including the Saudi Super Cup semi-final against Al-Ittihad and an international friendly against Almería.

Ronaldo’s latest treble takes his career hat-trick tally to over 65, he is now just one goal shy of reaching 100 goal contributions for the Saudi club. Posting on X after the game, he wrote: “Keep pushing, there’s more to do.”