Usyk Calls Ronaldo an ‘Alien’ After a 15-Minute Hat-Trick in Riyadh

• Oleksandr Usyk, a former two-time heavyweight world champion, said “Cristiano is an alien” in a video for the Saudi Pro League’s social channels, per talkSPORT.
• Ronaldo scored in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes to turn a 2-2 game into a 5-3 win for Al Nassr over Al Kholood.
• The 41-year-old is on 985 career goals by the Saudi Pro League’s count, 15 short of 1,000.

A Thumbs Up From the Crowd and 15 Goals Still to Find

Oleksandr Usyk was in the crowd in Riyadh on Thursday night, and the Ukrainian left no doubt about what he thought of Cristiano Ronaldo. After one of the goals, footage shows the Al Nassr forward performing his trademark ‘Siu’ celebration, pointing at the crowd and smiling. The cameras then cut to Usyk, who gave a thumbs up and grinned back at his fellow sports star. Afterwards, the boxer went further in a video on the Saudi Pro League’s social media channels. “Amazing game, Cristiano is an alien!” he said.

Three Goals in 15 Minutes

Al Nassr came into the game after Monday’s AFC Champions League fixture was postponed, and Ronaldo was the difference. Angelo Gabriel and Sadio Mane had scored for Al Nassr, and the game stood at 2-2. Ronaldo then struck in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes, three goals in 15 second-half minutes, to settle a 5-3 win in the Saudi Pro League.

He had help. His Portugal teammate Joao Felix made four assists, two of them for Ronaldo’s goals.

It was the 67th hat-trick of Ronaldo’s career. Seven have come for Al Nassr, 44 for Real Madrid, 10 for Portugal and three each for Manchester United and Juventus.

985 Goals, and a Count Not Everyone Agrees On

The treble took Ronaldo to 985 career goals on the Saudi Pro League’s count, 15 away from the figure he has openly said he wants to reach. A header against Al Faisaly on 23 October went down as Ronaldo’s in the league’s records and as an own goal in Opta’s, so the disputed Al Faisaly goal is the difference between 985 and 984.

Ronaldo has spent almost four years at Al Nassr and has one year left on his contract. In August he said it was “probably” his last year playing. He is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has won league titles in England, Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia, and is the all-time top scorer in men’s international football.

Not the First Time Usyk Has Shown Up

In 2025, Usyk went to an Al Nassr game in a personalised club shirt, waved to fans and performed his own ‘siu’ celebration. The two are known to share a huge respect for each other.

Ronaldo had a good week away from the pitch too. Earlier this week he was named the first winner of the Ballon d’Or ‘BOAT’ award, a new category this year that crowned the greatest Ballon d’Or winner of all time. Previous multiple-time winners went head to head in a fan vote, and Ronaldo beat Lionel Messi. His 2008 Ballon d’Or season finished first, when he scored 42 goals in 2007/08 and fired Manchester United to Premier League and Champions League glory. Pundits were also split over this year’s Ballon d’Or, with Alan Shearer and Jamie Carragher among those backing Harry Kane.

What Comes Next

Al Nassr are level on points with Al Qadsiah, with a game in hand. Ronaldo, 41, has a year left on his deal and 15 goals to find.

WRITTEN BY

George Howson

George Howson is a Futbol Chronicle contributor and accredited journalist with over 20 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, George has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing deep knowledge and first-hand insight to every match report and analysis he writes.

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