Cristiano Ronaldo silenced all the naysayers. The Portuguese star bagged the most prestigious title a striker can achieve: the highest goal-scorer of the year. At 38, he outshone the young and dynamic competition, including Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappe. This narrative, however, took an intriguing turn. His achievement got clouded by his goal-scoring spree in the Arab Champions Cup.

As the Saudi Arabian sports minister previously labeled the Arab Club Champions Cup as a ‘friendly’ tournament, they raised questions about the legitimacy of Ronaldo’s goals in the tournament. But now, FIFA has cleared up the air. What is FIFA’s stance on this?

FIFA’s decisive verdict shuts down Saudi minister’s claims

In a season where Cristiano Ronaldo dazzled with 54 goals, six of those goals arrived in the Arab Club Champions Cup. Although it was a historic title for Al-Nassr and Ronaldo, the sports minister’s claims raised eyebrows on Ronaldo’s claim to the highest goal-scorer title.

As FIFA doesn’t recognize goals from friendly tournaments in official statistics, doubts swirled lately about his position at the pinnacle of the list. However, FIFA has settled the score by officially declaring Cristiano Ronaldo as the top scorer for 2023.

The governing body’s list of record-breaking stats for the year stated, “Cristiano Ronaldo netted the most goals at club level in the world in 2023: 54 in 59 appearances. He was followed by Kylian Mbappe (52 in 53), Harry Kane (52 in 57), and Erling Haaland (50 in 60).”

This proclamation by FIFA now extinguishes any lingering doubts raised by the Saudi sports minister, solidifying Ronaldo’s status as the undisputed top-scorer. The Al-Nassr talisman scored 44 goals for his club this year, of which 25 have come this season. Ronaldo silenced his doubters once again with this feat.

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Cristiano Ronaldo sends a loud message to his doubters!

After claiming the title as the top-scorer, ‘CR7’ used the moment to send a defiant message to his critics and doubters. Many previously suggested that the Portuguese should consider hanging up his boots following his departure from Old Trafford in November 2022.

Similarly, in September 2023, former Italy forward Antonio Cassano felt Ronaldo wasn’t the same as before. “At this point, Cristiano should do himself a favour and understand that if you don’t reach a certain level, you should close the shop,” he said. In mid 2023, soccer fans took to social media asking the player to consider retiring following Al-Nassr’s shock exit from the Saudi King Cup.

However, the 38-year-old maestro defied expectations with an outstanding performance this year. In an eye-opening Instagram post, Ronaldo responded to the naysayers, declaring, “54–I’ll say when it’s finished! Thanks, team!”

This statement not only encapsulates Ronaldo’s unwavering determination but also hints at a player who refuses to be defined by his critics. While the ‘friendly’ controversy may have ruffled some feathers, it didn’t diminish the brilliance of Ronaldo’s performance. All eyes will be on the Portuguese star as he aims to defend his feat in 2024.

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