Ronaldo hat-trick seals Al Nassr win as he claims BOAT award

Cristiano Ronaldo struck a second-half hat-trick as Al Nassr beat Al Kholood 5-3 in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday, before picking up the inaugural Ballon d'Or of All Time award.

The match started badly for the hosts when Julien Domingues gave Al Kholood an early lead in the 16th minute. Al Nassr responded through Angelo in the 24th minute and then took the lead just before half-time when Sadio Mane scored, with Joao Felix providing the assist for both goals.

Al Kholood levelled in first-half stoppage time through Antoine Loic Essomba Bikoula, leaving the score at 2-2 at the break.

Ronaldo then took over. He tapped in from close range in the 66th minute after another Felix assist, headed home six minutes later, and completed his treble in the 81st minute when Mane squared the ball for him to slot in. Domingues scored a late consolation penalty for Al Kholood.

The hat-trick takes Ronaldo's career goal tally to 985, edging him closer to the 1,000-goal milestone.

After the match, the Portuguese forward was also announced as the winner of the new Ballon d'Or of All Time award, a fan-voted distinction that asked supporters to choose the greatest season among the award's historic winners. Ronaldo beat longtime rival Lionel Messi in the public vote, with fans selecting his 2008 campaign at Manchester United, when he scored 42 goals and won both the Premier League and Champions League.

"Football belongs to the fans!" Ronaldo wrote on social media. "Thank you to all the fans around the world, the Ballon D’Or of All Time is also yours."

Unlike the traditional Ballon d'Or, which is decided by journalists, the BOAT is a symbolic award with no official status.