Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 50th goal of 2023 during Al-Nassr’s 5-2 win over Al-Shabab to qualify for the semi-final of the King Cup of Champions on Monday.
Ronaldo, 38, netted the ball on the bottom left corner after a beautiful combination of play with midfielder Otavio and was substituted in the 82nd minute with a standing ovation.
Opening up after achieving the hallmark, the 38-year-old took to his Instagram account where he thanked his teammates, fans, and family for their continuous support while confirming that he wants to score more in the current year.
“Great victory and I’m thrilled to announce my 50th goal in 2023, all thanks to the unwavering support of my teammates, fans, and my family! ? There’s still room for a few more this year,” Ronaldo wrote in a post on Instagram.
This was the eighth time the Portuguese netted 50 goals in a year which makes him the player to do it the second most times as he remains only behind Argentina’s great and his former rival, Lionel Messi, who did nine times.
Ronaldo continued to show no signs of decline as with his goal on Monday, he also became the joint-top scorer of the current year alongside Erling Haaland, who has as many goals as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Overall in 2023, the Portuguese great has 50 goals and 14 assists in 56 games and Al-Nassr still have three more matches to play in the year.
Earlier, Ronaldo played his 1,200th career match where he scored and assisted against Al-Riyadh to continue his team’s fight for first place in the Saudi Pro League.
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 some time.
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.