Dec 31, 2023 at 3:15 PM Update: an hour ago
Not Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland or Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé, but Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer of 2023. The Portuguese striker from Al Nassr also scored on Saturday evening and therefore concludes this calendar year with 54 goals.
At the Saudi Al Nassr, 38-year-old Ronaldo proved to be far from worn out in 2023 after his transfer-free transfer from Manchester United. He made his mark this year with 34 goals in the national Saudi Pro League.
In the various cup tournaments and for the Portugal national team, Ronaldo added another twenty goals. On Saturday evening, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner with Al Nassr defeated Al Taawon 1-4. Ronaldo was accurate with a header.
“I’ll say when it’s done,” the attacker wrote after his 54th goal of the year his Instagram page. The attacker was two goals ahead of his closest pursuers Mbappé and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who scored his goals at Tottenham Hotspur in the first six months.
Manchester City top striker Haaland finished just outside the top three by scoring fifty times. The Norwegian was unable to further increase his annual total in recent weeks because he was struggling with an injury.
The top scorers of 2023
Five times more than fifty goals
For Ronaldo it is already the fifth time in his impressive career that he has scored more than fifty times in one year. In 2013 (69 goals), 2014 (61 goals), 2011 (60 goals) and 2015 (57 goals) he found the net even more often.
One caveat that can be placed on Ronaldo’s performance is that the Portuguese superstar has mainly scored his goals in Saudi Arabia. That competition is much less highly regarded than the Premier League, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga, in which Haaland, Mbappé and Kane (previously Premier League) are active respectively.
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Ronaldo scores 54th goal of 2023
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Beeld: Getty Images
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Cristiano Ronaldo Harry Kane Kylian Mbappé
2023-12-31 14:15:00
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