Ronaldo poised to reclaim world’s best title
Cristiano Ronaldo leads Al-Nassr to a 5-2 win over Al-Ittihad and tops the world scoring chart
Cristiano Ronaldo netted two goals in Al-Nassr’s 5-2 thrashing of Al-Ittihad, in the 17th round of the Saudi Football League, and became the world’s leading scorer in 2023, with 53 goals.
Al-Ittihad, the reigning champions, took the lead in the 14th minute through Moroccan forward Abderrazak Hamdallah, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the spot five minutes later.
Brazilian Anderson Talisca, formerly of Benfica, gave Al-Nassr the advantage in the 38th minute, but Hamdallah leveled the score again in the 52nd minute. Cristiano Ronaldo put his team ahead once more in the 68th minute, with another penalty after Brazilian Fabinho fouled Portuguese international Otávio in the box.
The game was decided in the final 15 minutes with two goals from Senegalese international Sadio Mané, formerly of Liverpool, in the 76th and 82nd minutes, with Otávio providing the assist for the fifth and last goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 53 goals in 2023 with Al Nassr (43) and Portugal (10), overtaking Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé, who scored 52 times and will not play again until 2024.
Cristiano Ronaldo has also scored three more goals than Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, who has been sidelined since December 6 due to injury.
The Portuguese star has an opportunity to increase his tally before the year ends, as Al Nassr plays away at Al Taawon on December 30th.
- Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in July 2023 from Juventus, in a deal worth 120 million euros. He signed a two-year contract with the Saudi club, earning 60 million euros per year.
- Al-Nassr is currently second in the Saudi Football League, with 37 points, four points behind leaders Al-Hilal, who have a game in hand. Al-Ittihad is fourth, with 28 points.
- Cristiano Ronaldo is the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or for the seventh time in his career, after leading Portugal to the Euro 2024 title in June. He scored six goals in the tournament, including a hat-trick in the final against France.