As the year draws to a close, Cristiano Ronaldo is on the brink of securing the title of top goalscorer of 2023. However, despite his recent success, the controversy surrounding his last few months at Manchester United continues to haunt him. This time the Al Nassr striker became the target of criticism for club legend Paul Parker, who unexpectedly dubbed him a ‘diva’ in comparison to Rasmus Hojlund, who ‘never acts like one‘. This happened after the goal-scoring drought of the Danish soccer star finally came to an end.

After facing months of criticism and backlash, Rasmus Hojlund scored his first Premier League goal against Aston Villa. Not only did his goal secure a 3-2 victory, but also put an end to his 14-match goalless streak. Paul Parker, while applauding the striker’s perseverance, took the opportunity to compare him to the mighty Cristiano Ronaldo.

Paul Parker believes a ‘frustrated’ Rasmus Hojlund doesn’t reflect a bizarre CR7 quality

In a recent interview with Tipsbladet, Parker addressed the hate and criticism Rasmus Hojlund has faced. He attributed the hate to his status as a player of “the biggest club in the world.” The retired defender further conveyed his belief, “I think he has been frustrated with his teammates for not giving him the best conditions to score goals”. It was at this point that Parker directed his critique towards CR7. The 59-year-old commented, “The good thing about Højlund is that he doesn’t show it on the pitch and he never acts like a diva, which we’ve seen Cristiano Ronaldo in particular do in the past.”

Dive Deeper: Manchester City Ace Equals Cristiano Ronaldo’s Premier League Record After Defeating Everton 3-1

The Portuguese striker had a rough second spell with the Red Devils. One of his most notorious moments occurred when he left the stadium before the final whistle against Tottenham. Additionally, his infamous interview with Piers Morgan served as the final factor that contributed to his departure and left a negative impression on many club legends, with Paul Parker being one of them. Despite the controversies surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo in 2022, 2023 has turned out to be one of his most successful years.

Cristiano Ronaldo looking to end 2023 with a bang

Ronaldo made a surprising start to the year by joining Al Nassr and has continued to impress ever since. He managed to score an impressive 53 goals for club and country, making him the leading goalscorer of the year.

However, there have been reports that some of the striker’s goals will be categorized as friendly goals, which would bring his total down to 47. Nevertheless, nothing has been confirmed yet and Cristiano Ronaldo remains poised to finish the year as the top goalscorer after 8 years.

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.

WATCH THIS STORY: Manchester-united-partners with-Adidas-and-British skate pro fans erupt in mixed reactions