It’s wonderful what Cristiano Ronaldo is doing at 38 and the incredible pace at which he’s still playing the beautiful game. The former Real Madrid man was tagged ‘finished’ at Manchester United, which led to his eventual exit, but considering what he’s doing at Al-Nassr now, Ronaldo still has plenty to offer at the top level.
Ronaldo has been the most in-form man for club and country this season, scoring goals for fun. In another outing for his club yesterday, the Portuguese maestro showed why he deservingly won five Ballon d’Or awards by scoring a lobbed goal from 40 yards out to help his team record a 3-0 victory.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores stunning lob from 40-yard out
Al-Nassr continued their strong form into the season with another win over Al Akhdoud yesterday, a 3-0 win to close the gap on Al-Hilal, who still sits at the top of the Saudi Professional League table.
The in-form SPL team kept 71% of the possession, which was the highlight of how dominant they were in the game. Sami Al-Najei opened the scoring for the hosts in the 13th minute of the game to set the mood for an apparent rout. However, the away team proved too stubborn to break down sometimes, and Al-Nassr wouldn’t get another goal until the 77th minute, with 13 minutes left in normal time.
It was Ronaldo that scored his team’s second goal and it was a brilliant one. While Ronaldo scored a good first goal, his second was on another level, and it made rounds all over social media. The Portuguese forward took a daring move to lob the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper, who had initially come out to clear the move.
The ball flew above everyone and landed in the net, with Cristiano Ronaldo spinning away to do his usual ‘Siuuuu’ celebration. This was Ronaldo’s 15th league goal of the season, five more than his closest competitor Mitrovic.
Ronaldo, who now has a museum in Riyadh, continues to enjoy life in Saudi Arabia both on and off the pitch.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2023 by numbers
Cristiano Ronaldo is having a great year, and he’s proving that with the kind of numbers he’s producing. The 38-year-old only trails Harry Kane and Erling Haaland as the top scorer in 2023. The Portuguese forward’s brace yesterday made it 48 goals this year.
Ronaldo has appeared in 52 matches for club and country this year, with 61 goal contributions in all competitions. On top of his 48 goals, Ronaldo has also contributed 13 assists, making him one of the most productive players in 2023.
The former United man also has an incredible 95.3 minutes per goal, more than Messi’s 131.7. He has also scored 3 hat-tricks, 12 penalties, 3 free-kick goals, and 6 goals from outside the box.
Ronaldo recently got honored with a special jersey by Sporting CP to mark the 20th anniversary of his debut for the club in 2003.
Can Cristiano Ronaldo score up to 60 goals before the end of the year? Drop your predictions in the comments section.
