The latest Ronaldo hat-trick at 41 turned a difficult evening into another memorable one in just 15 second-half minutes.
His goals in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes helped Al Nassr beat Al Kholood 5–3 on 29 October 2026. At 41, the Portuguese forward was still delivering the kind of performance that can decide a match almost single-handedly.
The result naturally renewed interest in his scoring records. But his age raises another question: who else has scored a hat-trick after turning 40?
The answer stretches from Brazil to Hong Kong, taking in former international stars and forwards whose late-career achievements received considerably less attention.
How Ronaldo Completed His Latest Hat-Trick
Al Nassr were level at 2–2 at half-time when Ronaldo eventually took control.
João Félix supplied his first two goals, creating a close-range finish before delivering the cross for a header. Sadio Mané provided the opportunity for the third, recovering possession after an unsuccessful attempt to beat the goalkeeper and finding Ronaldo in front of goal.
The sequence showed different aspects of Ronaldo’s penalty-area game: arriving for a pass, attacking a cross and remaining available when a teammate’s initial chance broke down.
Ronaldo hat-trick today was decisive in a competitive match that had remained unsettled for more than an hour. It also placed him alongside other forwards who continued producing three-goal performances well into their forties.
Ronaldo’s three goals against Al Kholood, 29 October 2026. Video: Saudi Pro League.
Players Who Have Scored Hat-Tricks After 40
These selected examples come from official senior league competitions. They include national top divisions, professional second tiers and Brazil’s state championship football.
| Player | Age | Club | Opponent and result | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 41 | Al Nassr | Al Kholood, 5–3 | October 2026 |
| Romário | 41 | Vasco da Gama | Boavista, 6–2 | March 2007 |
| Humberto Suazo | 42 | San Luis de Quillota | Unión San Felipe, 3–1 | March 2024 |
| Dejan Damjanović | 41 | Kitchee | HK U23, 7–0 | November 2022 |
| Rubén Castro | 40 | Cartagena | Amorebieta, 5–0 | May 2022 |
The competitions differ, so this is a collection of documented performances rather than a ranking of equivalent achievements.
Romário: Three Goals at 41 While Chasing His Own Milestone
Ronaldo is not the first celebrated goalscorer to combine a hat-trick at 41 with a pursuit of 1,000 career goals.
In March 2007, Romário scored three times during Vasco da Gama’s 6–2 victory over Boavista in the Carioca championship. His goals arrived within a 20-minute second-half spell and helped turn a 2–1 deficit into a 4–2 advantage.
The finishes included a header, a penalty and a left-footed strike. It was already his third hat-trick of that year.
The former Brazil, PSV and Barcelona striker was approaching what his personal records counted as his 1,000th goal. That total included youth football and friendlies, making it a different statistical exercise from modern tallies restricted to particular categories of senior matches.
The Boavista hat-trick itself, however, came in an established senior competition. Whatever the debate over his lifetime total, Romário was still changing the course of matches at 41.
Humberto Suazo: A Hat-Trick at 42 in Chile
For an example older than Ronaldo’s latest achievement, look to Humberto Suazo.
In March 2024, the Chilean scored all three goals in San Luis de Quillota’s 3–1 victory over Unión San Felipe in Chile’s professional second division. He was 42.
His performance offered variety, too. Suazo scored with a header, reacted to a rebound for another goal and struck from outside the penalty area. The treble secured San Luis’s first league victory of the campaign.
That detail gives the performance its significance. San Luis needed points, and their veteran forward supplied every goal in the win.
Suazo’s example also provides a straightforward answer to anyone wondering whether a hat-trick at 41 must automatically be an outright age record: professional players have done it later.
Suazo’s opening goal during his three-goal performance against Unión San Felipe in March 2024. Video: TNT Sports Chile.
Dejan Damjanović: A Six-Minute Treble at 41
Ronaldo’s 15-minute burst was rapid, but Dejan Damjanović produced an even shorter scoring sequence while in his forties.
On 12 November 2022, the Montenegrin striker scored three times as Kitchee defeated HK U23 7–0 in the Hong Kong Premier League. Kitchee’s official report records his goals in the 53rd, 57th and 59th minutes.
Damjanović was 41, with BeSoccer’s historical analysis placing his age at 41 years and 108 days.
All three goals therefore arrived within six minutes. Another Kitchee player scored during that spell as the team rapidly expanded its lead after half-time.
Although the opponent’s name contains “U23”, the match was a fixture in Hong Kong’s senior Premier League. Damjanović’s treble belongs to his professional club record.
His performance adds another Asian league to the story of forwards sustaining their finishing ability beyond 40.
Rubén Castro: A Hat-Trick at 40 in Spanish Football
The examples also extend to Spain.
On 21 May 2022, Rubén Castro scored three goals in Cartagena’s 5–0 victory over Amorebieta in the Spanish second division. He was 40 years and 328 days old.
Cartagena’s match report describes a performance built from a penalty, a finish when through against the goalkeeper and a third goal supplied by Alberto de la Bella.
There was an additional human detail: De la Bella had announced his retirement and was making his farewell appearance in front of Cartagena’s home supporters. His assist helped Castro complete the hat-trick on an emotional afternoon.
Castro’s case shows that these late-career trebles also occur within European professional football, even when they happen outside the most internationally watched top divisions.
Is Ronaldo the Oldest Hat-Trick Scorer?
Ronaldo’s latest hat-trick does not make him the oldest professional player to score three goals in a match. Suazo’s documented treble at 42 is enough to establish that.
Any broader record needs a clearly defined scope. National top-flight football, second divisions, state championships and amateur competitions produce different pools of eligible players.
For comparison, Guinness World Records lists the Premier League’s oldest hat-trick scorer as Teddy Sheringham, who was 37 years and 146 days old when he scored three for Portsmouth against Bolton in August 2003.
That helps explain why a treble at 41 attracts attention, while also showing why age records should always name the competition they cover. Hat-tricks have produced other unusual stories, too, including players who scored three in a Premier League match and still lost.
Ronaldo’s Latest Hat-Trick Has a Wider History
Ronaldo’s performance against Al Kholood brings fresh attention to an achievement with precedents across several football cultures.
Romário did it during his final years in Brazil. Suazo scored three at 42 in Chile. Damjanović delivered a rapid treble in Hong Kong, while Castro completed his in Spain.
Their careers provide the context for Ronaldo’s latest night: scoring three goals after 40 is an achievement shared by a distinctive group of professional forwards, each finding a way to remain decisive late in his career.
READ MORE: Goalkeepers Who Scored More Than Once in a Match
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