The Ageless Ronaldo: Versatile Goal-Scoring Skills Defy Expectations at 38.
At the age of 38, Cristiano Ronaldo still possesses the ability to score quite a variety of goals, from heading the ball to shooting with both feet.
Ronaldo revived strongly in the Saudi Pro League. Last year, he reached 54 goals in club and national team colors, surpassing Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe (both with 53 goals).
This is the 5th time CR7 has ended the year as the world’s number one scorer. Previously, Ronaldo achieved this achievement four times while playing for Real Madrid in 2011 (60 goals), 2013 (63), 2014 (61) and 2015 (57).
Ronaldo made his Saudi Pro League debut in February 2023 and scored in a 2-2 draw against Al Fateh. The former MU striker’s 14 goals last season helped Al Nassr finish second in the SPL rankings, 5 points behind champion Al Ittihad.
The Portuguese superstar scored 6 goals to help Al Nassr win the Arab Champions Cup in August. In the final, CR7 scored twice to help Al Nassr come from behind to defeat Al Hilal 2-1 in a position with few players.
Of the 34 goals in the domestic Saudi Pro League, 23 were scored by Ronaldo with his right foot, 8 with his left foot and 3 with headers.
In the Arab Champions Cup, this veteran striker even had 3 headers into the opponent’s net, one goal with his left foot and two goals with his right foot.
The Madeira-born striker’s 10 goals in 2023 also helped Portugal win the right to participate in EURO 2024. Portugal comfortably topped Group F in the qualifying round with 10 absolute wins.
20 of Ronaldo’s 54 goals were scored on penalties. Of which, 3 goals were for Portugal and the remaining 17 goals were for Al Nassr. Notably, he achieved a 100% penalty kick success rate.
The 38-year-old striker scored 3 times from direct free kicks. In recent years, Ronaldo’s playing style has gradually changed over time, mainly “hanging in a hammock” in the restricted area. However, he can also make 15 assists in 2023.
Ronaldo will turn 39 in February. However, his ambition has not stopped. The former Real Madrid star aims to win EURO 2024 and achieve more success with Al Nassr.
