Amidst all the talks of exciting new players taking the football mantle from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, 2023 marks a year where Messi won the Ballon d’Or and Ronaldo finished as the top scorer of world football. Ronaldo scored an astonishing 54 goals in 2023 to steer clear of his compatriots.
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Ronaldo, at the age of 38 playing in Saudi Pro League, has beaten some of the top talents of world football such as Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane (52 goals), PSG and France forward Kylian Mbappe (52 goals), and Manchester City and Norway striker Erling Haaln (50 goals) to achieve this wonderful feat.
In a conversation with Saudi media outlet SSC Sports after ahead of the end of the year, Ronaldo said he will try and repeat this feat again in 2024 too.
“I’m very happy, it was a good year for me as an individual and as a collective. I scored so many goals, I helped the team a lot at Al-Nassr and for the national team. I feel good, I feel happy and next year I will try to do it again,” Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo joined Al Nassr from Manchester United in January 2023 and has since featured in 50 matches for the club, scoring 44 goals. In the current Saudi Pro League season, Ronaldo has been in flying form. The forward has netted 20 goals in 18 matches for Al Nassr, and has also contributed 9 assists in the Saudi Pro League season 2023-24.