All-Time Football Great Came Back With A 2023 Blaze
The 2023 calendar year just came to an end and with it so did the race for the 2023 top scorer. The top four were Erling Haland, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, and Cristiano Ronaldo. The player that came out on top with 53 goals was the 38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo outscored three of the best goal scorers in their prime while he’s out of his. Although he does play in the Saudi League and the others play in much harder leagues, we can't discredit what he has done because, in his move to Saudi Arabia, a lot of top players followed him. Karim Benzema who previously won the Ballon d’or joined rival team Al-Ittihad has scored only nine goals for them. Brazilian superstar Neymar has scored zero goals for Al Hilal Riyadh. While Ronaldo has scored 44 goals in 50 games for Al-Nassr.
While speaking to Saudi media outlet SSC Sports, as quoted by Goal.com, Cristiano said, “I am very happy, it was a good year for me as an individual and as a collective. I scored so many goals, I helped them a lot at Al-Nassr and for the national team.” Ronaldo did have a great year, but we can't forget the year he had to overcome in 2022.
During his spell at Manchester United in 2022, it was the first time in his career playing in the top five leagues where he couldn't qualify for the Champions League. Mr. Champions League had to play in the Europa League with United for the 22/23 season.
When Erik Ten Hag joined Manchester United, he began to slowly cut Cristiano out of the starting eleven and even called him out in the media. Cristiano began to be on the bench, which is unusual for him. Ever since he reached the top he has always played, and teams even built around Ronaldo to get the best out of him. He began to retaliate when he refused to come in as a sub in the final minutes of the game and even did an interview with Piers Morgan where he disrespected Erik Ten Hag.
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, his ex-manager Fernando Santos lost confidence in him and benched him in Portugal's most important match versus Morocco for an upcoming Gonçalo Ramos. Portugal lost that game and ended Ronaldo’s dream of lifting the World Cup trophy. On top of that Lionel Messi ended up winning the trophy with Argentina.
After the World Cup, Ronaldo and United parted ways and he joined Al-Nassr. A lot of soccer fans called him finished or washed up for joining a team outside the top five leagues. He finished the calendar year with 17 goals, the first time in years that he didn't score more than 30 goals in a calendar year.
Moreover, the hardest thing was that he lost a baby while his partner was giving birth.
Cristiano Ronaldo made a comeback that would be impossible for a player past his prime, especially in his late 30s. Who would've thought that Al Nassr was the best decision Ronaldo could have made? His manager and fans respect him. His teammates play for him and don't give up. He gained his mojo back and is playing confidently like he used to. This version of Ronaldo is needed in the world of soccer. Ronaldo is scoring for fun and has a smile while he plays. Every time there's an obstacle in front of him, he somehow finds a way to go through it.
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