April 18, 2023
Despite only joining Al-Nassr in January, the Portuguese is just five goals short of leading scorers Anderson Talisca and Odion Ighalo from Al-Hilal...
One of the biggest pieces of football news in recent years came when Cristiano Ronaldo made his shock exit from Manchester United to join Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr on the eve of the January transfer window. This signing was considered a major coup for the club and the news shocked the footballing world. What's more, Ronaldo's performances in Saudi Arabia have also been catching the eye. Cristiano has managed 11 goals in just 10 Saudi Pro League appearances, and despite joining the season at the half way stage, is in the frame to finish the league's top scorer in his first campaign in the country. The Portuguese sits five goals behind fellow Old Trafford allum Odion Ighalo, who currently tops the charts with 16 goals. However, it took the Nigerian 21 matches to reach this mark, more than double what Ronaldo has played. With Cristiano averaging more than a goal a game, it can be summised that CR7 would likely have scored roughly 25 goals by this time, and had he played a full season he would be eclipsing the opposition.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Still performing at his best at Al Nassr:
Ronaldo will have a chance to edge closer to Ighalo when his team Al-Nassr head to the King Fahd International Stadium to face off against Ighalo's very own Al-Hilal tonight. This match will be a battle of two of the league's most potent finishers, and could be an excellent opportunity for Cristiano Ronaldo to close the gap in the scoring charts and perhaps even lure people to try their luck on the most popular Siirto kasinot.
Not only that, but this game will be crucial as Al-Nassr sit three points adrift of Al-Ittihad at the top of the Saudi Pro League. Ronaldo will be desperate to end his first half-season in the middle east with silverware. He would surely relish this just as much as he would winning the golden boot.
Ronaldo has 7 remaining league games with Al-Nassr this season in which to bolster his scoring stats. If he continues performing in the way he is, he's likely to finish on 18-20 goals. Depending on how Odion Ighalo and fellow top scorers Talisca and Abderrazak Hamdallah perform in the business end of the season, this may be enough.
However, Cristiano will probably need to pump the gas a little and score a hat-trick or two to put himself in serious contention, as the three top scorers are likely to add to their respective 16-goal hauls.
If anyone can do it, it's Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite being 38-years-old, the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored more goals than almost everyone else in the league while playing half the games. Only five players have managed to outscore the Portuguese this season.
With his world record €200m a year contract keeping him in Saudi Arabia until 2025, Al-Nassr fans will be excited to see what their superstar striker can do across the next two full campaigns.
He is almost certainly going to win the golden boot during both of those seasons, barring serious injury, but could Cristiano add yet another small piece of history to his illustrious CV by topping the Saudi scoring charts in only half a season?
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League is on April 9, Al Feiha. You can watch Al Nassr vs Al Feiha, Chelsea vs Real Madrid, Inter vs Benfica, Bayern Munich vs Manchester City, Napoli vs AC Milan and AS Roma vs Feyenoord, all matches provided from our streaming soccer game pages.
Al Nassr next game:
Al Hilal vs Al Nassr kick-off time (18-04-2023):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:30
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 22:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 12:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / manutd.com / espn.com