Breaking down Cristiano Ronaldo’s insane record in 2023 for Al-Nassr and Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed a truly remarkable calendar year, having scored more goals than the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

The Portuguese superstar made the switch to Al-Nassr in January and he hasn’t looked back since. For both club and country, Ronaldo has looked incredibly efficient throughout 2023.

While he may no longer be playing in one of Europe’s elite leagues, the numbers he continues to put up in Saudi Arabia are absolutely mind-blowing.

Ronaldo scored his 53rd goal of the year in Al-Nassr’s recent triumph over rivals Al-Ittihad. Amazingly, this year has now been Ronaldo’s most prolific since 2017 when he also managed 53 goals.

Along with his eye-catching numbers with Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has also been in fine form for Portugal. The 38-year-old has managed 10 goals on the international stage this year which has only been bettered by Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku.

It’s no secret that Ronaldo is a sharp-shooter from the penalty spot and he’s been as clinical as ever this year by scoring all 15 penalties that he has taken. His free-kick record hasn’t been to shabby either as he’s managed to bag three of them this year too.

For club and country, he has averaged a goal contribution every 74.9 minutes which is astonishing consistently, even for Ronaldo’s high standards.

While the Portuguese forward isn’t best known for his creative skills, he has provided plenty of assists to his teammates this year too. In total, Ronaldo has produced 15 assists which is his best creative return since 2016.

Thanks to his prolific form of late, Ronaldo has taken his overall career tally to 872 goals. If he manages to maintain this sort of consistency for the next couple of years, he will surely end his career with more than 1000 goals which would be a ridiculous achievement.

The 38-year-old did manage to get his hands on one trophy during 2023 as Al-Nassr came out on top in the Arab Club Champions Cup.

Ronaldo will be hoping to get his hands on some more silverware next year, although Al-Nassr do have to play catch up to Al-Hilal who currently lead the way in the Saudi Pro League.

With Euro 2024 fast approaching too, the 38-year-old will no doubt have one eye on the summer already. Given the prolific form he has showcased throughout 2023, we wouldn’t bet against CR7 from making an impact in Germany.

We’ve gone ahead and crunched the numbers from Ronaldo’s superb 2023 campaign with both Al-Nassr and Portugal.

Record for Al-Nassr in 2023

Games: 49
Goals: 43
Assists: 13

Penalties: 12
Free-kicks: 2
Hat-tricks: 3

Minutes per goal: 101.6
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 140.9
Minutes per goal contribution: 78

⚡️@Cristiano scores his 53rd goal of the year 🫡 🐐#yallaRSL pic.twitter.com/K4DXftBdVS

— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) December 26, 2023

Record for Portugal in 2023

Games: 9
Goals: 10
Assists: 2

Penalties: 3
Free-kicks: 1
Hat-tricks: 0

Minutes per goal: 72.4
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 103.4
Minutes per goal contribution: 60.3

Overall record in 2023

Games: 58
Goals: 53
Assists: 15

Penalties: 15
Free-kicks: 3
Hat-tricks: 3

Minutes per goal: 96.1
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 134.1
Minutes per goal contribution: 74.9

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