Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 67th career hat-trick as Al-Nassr secured a 5-3 win over Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League, moving within 15 goals of the historic 1,000-goal milestone.

The 41-year-old Portugal captain scored three times in 15 second-half minutes to help Al-Nassr claim victory after Angelo Gabriel and Sadio Mané had given the hosts a commanding position.

Portugal teammate Joao Felix played a key role in the victory, providing four assists, including two for Ronaldo’s goals.

The hat-trick takes Ronaldo’s career tally to 67, with seven coming during his time at Al-Nassr. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has also scored 44 hat-tricks for Real Madrid, 10 for Portugal and three each for Manchester United and Juventus.

His latest treble brings his career goal tally to 985, leaving him just 15 goals short of becoming the first player to reach 1,000 official senior career goals.

Ronaldo, a former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward, has won league titles in England, Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia. He also remains the highest goalscorer in men’s international football.

The forward has spent almost four years at Al-Nassr and has one year left on his current contract, although questions remain about how much longer he intends to play.

In August, the Portugal captain hinted at retirement, admitting that it was “probably” his final year as a professional footballer.

Al-Nassr remain firmly in the Saudi Pro League title race as they seek to defend their crown. They occupy second place in the standings behind leaders Al-Qadsiah, with a game in hand.

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