April 20, 2023
Season after season, Ronaldo seems to set new heights and always finds the motivation to go after even more records. The Portuguese forward is obsessed with success and hard working ethics...
At the age of 38, Cristiano Ronaldo is still playing and scoring goals, but are there any records left that he could realistically break before retiring? His huge list of personal achievements already makes him one of the most successful players ever, but what is left for him to achieve? The Portuguese icon has won everything he could aspire to at a club level and now that he moved to Saudi Arabia and to a less important league, there are still landmarks Ronaldo wants to reach. So far and with 13 appearances for Al Nassr, the 37-year old superstar already managed to score a total of 11 goals for his new club.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Hymn for the weekend:
A look at Cristiano's record shows us exactly why it's going to be difficult for him to break many more records, as he already holds so many of them. Among his most significant records is the fact that he leads the all-time scoring and assists charts in the Champions League, with 140 goals and 42 assists. Since he no longer plays in Europe he won't be adding to these totals, and Lionel Messi's 129 goals mean he is the only current player with a realistic chance of catching him in the near future.
Cristiano is also the European with the most Ballon d'Or awards, his five putting him ahead of legends like Michel Platini and Johan Cruyff, but two behind Argentine Lionel Messi. While players from any league can win this award, it's highly unlikely that Cristiano adds another Ballon d'Or while playing in Saudi Arabia, far less the two needed to draw level with Messi. However, one more win for him would see Portugal leading the table in terms of nationality, as Eusébio and Luis Figo have both won one award each.
While the previous records are clear to see, there is a greater level of uncertainty over a title that Cristiano would surely love to claim. That's because the late Brazilian icon Pelé is generally classed as the leading goal scorer of all time, with 1,279 goals to his name. This leaves Cristiano in second place, with a total of 834 goals. However, the debate is around whether Pelé's goals in non-competitive games should count. If they don't, then the Portuguese star jumps into first place on the list, but can he carry on scoring? This is something that has become a popular sports bet this year.
Given his huge levels of popularity, it's easy to see why so many people are keen to bet on Cristiano scoring for his current team, and the diversity in the sports betting market makes this possible. His move to the Saudi league has increased global interest in this league and it’s possible to place bets such as Cristiano scoring in his upcoming games. Despite it not being a particularly popular league, many bookmakers use betting software to gather data to create odds that cover a huge number of live and pre-event markets from around the world, meaning that odds on the Saudi league are available all over the planet. Betting sites are customised to appeal to different markets around the world and use the latest data to calculate accurate odds.
A sparkling international career has also seen Cristiano Ronaldo set numerous records. Among the most eye-catching, we can see that he is the top scorer in the history of international football, having overtaken Ali Daei a couple of years ago. He now has 122 goals and, again, Messi is the only person with even a small chance of catching him thanks to his 102 goals for Argentina.
While many fans expected him to return following a disappointing World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Cristiano returned to the Portugal team in 2023 to become the most capped player in the sport's history. He achieved this milestone when winning his 197th cap against Liechtenstein and is currently sitting on 198 caps. Yet again, the only active player with a hope of catching him soon is Messi, who has racked up 174 appearances for his country.
It seems unlikely that Cristiano breaks many more records in the rest of his career, but he may manage to move further ahead of Messi in some aspects and make it even more difficult for the next generation of players, like Erling Haaland, to get near to his incredible legacy.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Al Nassr for the King's Cup is on April 26, against Al Wehda. You can watch Al Nassr vs Al Wehda, Sporting vs Juventus, Angers vs PSG, Sevilla vs Manchester United, Arsenal vs Southampton and AS Roma vs Feyenoord, all matches provided from our live football game pages.
Al Nassr next game:
Al Nassr vs Al Wehda kick-off time (26-04-2023):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 02:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 23:30
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 21:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 20:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 19:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 15:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 14:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 11:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / insider.com / uefa.com
