Cristiano Ronaldo finished his first full Saudi Pro League season in style, breaking the record for most goals scored in a single campaign on Monday. The 39-year-old Portuguese forward scored twice in his team’s 4-2 victory over Al Ittihad on the last matchday, bringing his league total to 35 goals this season. The previous record was set by former Al Nassr striker and Moroccan international Abderrazak Hamdallah, who scored 34 goals in 2018-19.
Ronaldo, who previously played for Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, joined Al Nassr in January 2023. In the dying seconds of the first half, Ronaldo, who had previously had two goals called out for offside, chested down a long cross from Mohammed Al-Fatil and scored with a low effort from the left side of the box.
With 21 minutes remaining, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner erupted in celebration after heading in a Marcelo Brozovic corner kick. He was substituted off the pitch five minutes later, to a standing ovation from the home crowd. Ronaldo finished an action-packed season with four hat tricks and one red card. He was also suspended in February for making an obscene gesture at Al Shabab fans who were screaming the name of Ronaldo’s long-time soccer rival, Lionel Messi.
Despite Ronaldo’s individual achievements, this campaign was disappointing for a great team that included other global star players such as Sadio Mane and Brozovic. Al Nassr finished second in the league table, trailing Al Hilal, and did not win a trophy in the Saudi Cup or the Asian Champions League.
Al Hilal was too powerful even without Neymar, who came from Paris Saint-Germain in August but suffered a season-ending ACL injury in October. Aleksandar Mitrovic came on and scored in the dying seconds to seal a 2-1 victory over Al Wehda to round off the season. The Serbian striker, who signed from Fulham in London last summer, has 27 league goals, second only to Ronaldo.
On their way to the title, Al Hilal went on a 34-game winning streak in all competitions, a new world record for a top-tier team. This season has been truly exceptional for the team, arguably our best ever, Al Hilal coach Jorge Jesus said. The credit goes to the immense talent within the squad and the incredible sense of unity that transcends both on and off-field interactions, the former Portuguese player added.
