The Al-Nassr star came up trumps for his country yet again to net a late winner in the Nations League fixture against Scotland on Sunday (08.09.24) and his midfield team-mate - who plies his trade with Al-Hilal in the Middle East- thinks that his enduring quality is the perfect response to those question the standard of football in the region.

Neves told the Portugal FA website: "I invite those people to watch Saudi football.

"I have said this a few times - if you compare my GPS data from English football to Saudi football, I run even more, but with the difference that I run in 40 degrees [celsius].

"I am in good shape physically. Both Cristiano and I proved today that Saudi football has quality."

The late winner took Ronaldo's career goals tally to 901 and Neves thinks it is realistic to think the icon will go on to reach the 1,000 mark.

Despite his match-winning contribution, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez explained that he was on the bench to conserve his energy after starting the team's game against Croatia last week.

The manager said: "Cristiano is in a very good moment. It's September, he's played three games for the club. The important thing is that we need to protect all the players.

"I liked his commitment. He's an incredible player."

Ronaldo netted for the 900th time in the win over Croatia and expressed his emotion at reaching the "unique milestone" in his career.

He said: "It was emotional because it’s a milestone.

"It seems like any other milestone, but only I know, and the people around me, how hard it is to work every day, to be physically and psychologically fit, to score 900 goals. It’s a unique milestone in my career."