Did Cristiano Ronaldo score his 982nd career goal against Al Faisaly or was it an own goal? The league will settle the dispute

Soccer Soccer – Saudi Pro League – Al Faisaly vs Al Nassr – Al-Majma’ah Sports City Stadium, Al Majma’ah, Saudi Arabia – October 23, 2026 Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates REUTERS/Stringer Cristiano Ronaldo is closing in on one of football’s most remarkable milestones, although his latest step towards 1,000 career goals has sparked an unexpected controversy. The Portuguese forward celebrated in Al Nassr’s win over Al Faisaly, but his last touch of the ball raised questions about whether he had scored or put it into the defender’s own net. However, the league’s official decision left Ronaldo’s account untouched.

Ronaldo’s header took him to 982 career goals

Al Nassr beat Al Faisaly 3-1 at the King Salman Sport City Stadium on Friday, October 23, with Ronaldo appearing to double his side’s lead shortly after half-time. The 41-year-old faced João Félix’s free-kick in the 49th minute but the ball was deflected by Al Faisaly defender Andrei Girotto before crossing the line.Ronaldo immediately celebrated with his trademark ‘Siu’ and later posted a photo of the moment on Instagram with the caption: “Let’s go!”The goal came after Abdullah Al-Hamdan opened the scoring early in the match. Al Faisala’s Théo Bongonda pulled one back before Ângelo Gabriel scored late on to seal victory.

Why some stat providers called it an own goal

The uncertainty centers on whether Ronaldo made the decisive header before Girotta’s save. While the Saudi Pro League credited the strike to Ronaldo, third-party data providers, including ESPN’s statistics provider Opta, classified it as an own goal.Sofascore and other soccer rating apps also reported the incident differently, creating a discrepancy between the league’s records and some widely used statistics platforms. The defender’s deflection was clear, but available accounts differ on whether Ronaldo’s contact was sufficient to award the goal.The distinction is important to supporters following Ronaldo’s pursuit of 1,000 career goals, especially with the milestone now within reach.

The official Saudi Pro League ruling leaves Ronaldo at 982

Despite disagreements between the data providers, the Saudi Pro League accepted the official match referee report and credited the goal to Ronaldo. According to league records, his career total is 982, leaving him 18 goals short of 1,000.The decision determines how the goal is recorded in the competition’s official statistics, although some independent databases continue to show the own goal. That difference didn’t change Ronaldo’s official tally after Friday’s game.

Ronaldo returns to scoring after Portugal suspension

The goal also marked Ronaldo’s return to scoring for the club after he was handed a 30-day suspension and fined 255 euros ($286) earlier this week. The punishment followed his departure from the Portugal national team during the international break in October amid a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus.Al Nassr’s win was their eighth league win of the campaign and kept them in contention for the Saudi Pro League title alongside Al Qadsiah and Al Hilal. Ronaldo’s latest strike took him close to the career milestone, with the official league record counting it in his favor despite the ongoing debate over the final touch.