“A Goal is a Goal” – Cristiano Ronaldo On Beating Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe & Harry Kane in 2023

Cristiano Ronaldo took immense pride in his age-defying milestone of becoming last year’s top goal-scorer. He cheered himself for beating ‘young animals’ like Erling Haaland to a staggering 54-goal tally at the age of 38. Nevertheless, some critics have downplayed CR7’s achievement, citing that he is playing in the less competitive Roshn Saudi League. Now, the 5x-Ballon d’Or winner fired back at such critics with his statement about the difficulty of scoring in any professional league.

In a recent interview with Record, Cristiano Ronaldo said his goal-scoring feat meant much more than any award because numbers speak volumes. “The 54 goals I scored, there may be those who say that it is easier because I am in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But football professionals know the difficulty of scoring goals, whether in Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, or Portugal. A goal is a goal. Yes, I’m more proud of beating Haaland, Mbappe, and Kane,” said Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo not only thinks scoring goals in the Saudi League is equally difficult, but he also claims the RSL’s quality has seen a dramatic rise and is better than France’s Ligue 1.

During the Globe Soccer Awards, Ronaldo was asked about the league’s standard and he said, “To be honest, I think the Saudi league isn’t worse than French league, in my opinion. In French league, I think you have 2-3 teams with a good level. In Saudi, no, I think it’s more competitive.” In his interview with Record, the Portuguese soccer star also raised questions on the credibility of the Ballon d’Or and BEST FIFA awards.

Ronaldo said, “The Ballon d’Or award and the Best award are losing credibility. It is not to say Messi did not deserve it. Or Haaland, or even Mbappe. I simply no longer believe in these awards. But the numbers are there and the numbers don’t deceive. You’ve to consider the entire season.” 

After being awarded the best goal scorer award at Globe Soccer he revealed how he felt competing against some of the more younger players for the award. He said, “I was the top scorer this season, imagine beating young animals like Haaland… I’m proud. And I’ll be 39 soon! Ronaldo ended up with 54 goals last year, followed by Kylian Mbappe of France and Englishman Harry Kane with 52 goals each. Manchester City’s Norwegian star Erling Haaland scored 50 goals. Ronaldo surpassing his much younger rivals is astonishing but can he do it again?

Cristiano Ronaldo has posed the consistency challenge, is it really doable?

Shortly after officially becoming the top-scorer in 2023, CR7 said in an interview that he would repeat the same feat in 2024. Recently, at the Globe Soccer Awards, he joked he would play another 10 years. Though playing at 48 looks like a distant dream, Cristiano Ronaldo not-so-subtly stated he will stay in the game even during his 40s. That is indeed plausible, and Haaland, Mbappe, and Kane may even end up playing second fiddle to the 38-year-old.

READ MORE: Despite Son’s Thumping Header Goal, Cristiano Ronaldo Gives a Big Reality Check to Junior

Considering the staggering number of competitions he will feature in, CR7 could give tough competition to these European goal machines this year as well. The RSL aside, Al Nassr features in all major domestic and continental competitions this year. The team partakes in four of them outside of the Saudi League. European teams, on the other hand, could feature in three to four competitions a year. Therefore, more matches mean the Al Nassr skipper has a clear advantage, doesn’t he? What are your thoughts? Will CR7 do it again? Tell us in the comments below.

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