Cristiano Ronaldo leads the world in goals in 2023. Now, at the age of 39, the Portuguese superstar is confident of conquering new heights.
Pioneer Ronaldo
Pioneer Ronaldo
The calendar year 2023 ended with an important milestone for Cristiano Ronaldo : he scored 54 goals, more than any of his colleagues in the world.
Ronaldo is the king of goals in 2023.
Ronaldo scored 2 more goals than Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe; the gap with Erling Haaland is 4 goals; 14 more than Romelu Lukaku.
Ronaldo’s achievements include 44 goals for Al-Nassr Club, and 10 goals for the Portuguese national team.
Pele and Diego Maradona both retired at the age of 37. Ronaldo Nazario retired at 35, after becoming overweight. Zinedine Zidane retired at the peak of his career at 34, after a brilliant 2006 World Cup.
Ronaldo’s biggest rival, Lionel Messi , scored 1 goal in his first 6 MLS (Major League Soccer) matches at the age of 36.
On the contrary, in 2023, at the age of 38, Ronaldo still maintains his motivation and desire to fight and continuously scores goals in all competitions.
After leaving MU for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo is not simply an ambassador for Saudi Arabian football, part of Vision 2030, but it is a conquest of new lands.
In a completely different culture, different football, with a desert climate that is not easy to adapt to, Ronaldo was almost unaffected. He still “fired bullets” regularly.
Special like Ronaldo
In the summer of 2023, Karim Benzema decided to leave Real Madrid to move to Saudi Arabia. He hesitated a lot before going to Al-Ittihad, with a salary of 100 million euros per year.
Benzema was once eager to go to Mecca (or Makkah), considered the holy city of Islam, about 70 km from Jeddah. But he was no longer himself.
In Saudi Arabia, Benzema’s performance was inconsistent and he felt uncomfortable in life. He even had to close his social media and intended to leave the Persian Gulf.
Many players have struggled in Saudi Arabia, but not Ronaldo.
Roberto Firmino was unsuccessful during his time in Saudi Arabia. His former teammate, Jordan Henderson, was quicker than everyone when he left Al-Ettifaq after half a year to join Ajax.
These examples show Ronaldo’s professionalism and adaptability in any football environment.
He completely changed Al-Nassr’s history – notably the Arab Club Champions Cup title – and created new values for Saudi Arabian football.
Throughout his career, Ronaldo has won at least one title wherever he has played, including a brief spell at Sporting Lisbon. In addition to his five Ballon d’Ors, he has also won countless individual awards.
On February 5, Ronaldo turned 39. He shows no signs of slowing down. CR7 has ambitions to pursue: titles with Al-Nassr and EURO 2024 with Portugal.
