IT didn’t take long for Cristiano Ronaldo to score his first hat-trick after joining Al-Nassr.
In fact, he went one better than that on Thursday, scoring all FOUR goals in a 4-0 win over Al-Wehda.
And after the game the referee was spotted signing the hat-trick ball for Ronaldo in footage posted to YouTube.
He approached ref Sultan Al-Harbi for the ball, who autographed his name on it for him.
Ron was seen with a huge grin on his face as ref Al-Harbi penned his signature on the match ball.
His first goal of the night was his 500th league strike, while his hat-trick was the 61st of his career.
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And with it being his first hat-trick since moving to Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo is likely to keep the ball as a memento.
Ref Al-Harbi gave Ronaldo the chance to score his hat-trick after awarding Al-Nassr a penalty having consulted the pitchside VAR monitor and spotting a handball.
Ronaldo had already scored twice in the game, his first coming with a left-footed finish into the bottom corner, and his second coming with his trusty right boot.
He then notched his hat-trick after ref Al-Harbi pointed to the spot, firing past goalkeeper Abdulquddus Atiah.
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The 38-year-old bagged his fourth of the night after running in behind the Al-Wehda defence, and although his initial effort was saved he made no mistake with the rebound.
Ronaldo now has five goals in four games for his new side – after failing to score in his first three outings.
A penalty in Friday’s 2-2 draw with Al-Fateh was his first for the club, which he followed up with four strikes on Thursday, having celebrated his 38th birthday in between games.
The Portuguese forward took to Instagram after the game to celebrate his scoring exploits.
He wrote: “Great feeling to have scored 4 goals and reaching my 500th league goal in a very solid win by the team!”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
