Cristiano Ronaldo became the top scorer of 2023 as he netted his 53rd strike of the year during the match between Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday.
Ronaldo, who is turning 39 in a month, proved once again that age is just a number as he has now scored more goals in the year than the likes of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
After a disastrous 2022 where Ronaldo only managed to bag 16 goals as he had trouble finding consistent game time with Manchester United because he was not greatly favoured by their coach Erik Ten Hag, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner made an astounding comeback, something he is known for, and went all the way to become the top scorer of 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo in 2023:
- 58 matches
- 53 goals
- 15 assists
Al-Nassr managed to defeat Al-Ittihad 5-2 as braces from Ronaldo and Sadio Mane and a goal from Talisca cruised Luis Castro’s side to a win to keep pressure on table-toppers Al-Hilal.
Mbappe and Kane can no longer go past Ronaldo as they have played their final matches for 2023 while Ronaldo will play his last game of the year on December 30 against Al-Taawoun.
On the other hand, Erling Haaland is likely to play two games in the year as Manchester City are scheduled to take on Everton on Wednesday and Sheffield United on December 30.
Top scorers for club and country in 2023:
Cristiano Ronaldo - 53 goals
Harry Kane - 52 goals
Kylian Mbappe - 52 goals
Erling Haaland - 50 goals
It is worth noting that Ronaldo has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus where he created history and became a legend in little to no time.
Ronaldo played 438 matches with Madrid where he scored a whopping amount of 450 goals, a record that is likely to remain unbeaten, and provided 131 assists.
With Man United, across his two stints, the forward scored 145 goals and provided 64 assists.
In his 21-year-long career, Ronaldo also won the Ballon d’Or, the highest individual award in football, five times and clinched the UEFA Champions League many times as well.
