Cristiano Ronaldo can’t stop dominating soccer, even after leaving Europe. Following his brace in Al Nassr’s 5-2 win in the Saudi Pro League match against Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad, he became the top scorer for the 2023 calendar year. With this feat, the Portuguese superstar has reached 53 goals pipping the likes of Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, and Harry Kane. However, FIFA’s rules might deny CR7 the coveted top-scorer throne.

Technically, Ronaldo leads this year’s top-scorer rankings with 53 goals, leaving behind Mbappe (52), Kane (52), and Haaland (50). Yet, due to soccer’s apex authority’s stringent rules, the player might slip down. 

Will Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals in the Arab Club Champions Cup count?

The 53 goals that Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 2023 calendar year came from his participation in the Saudi Pro League, AFC Champions League, Kings Cup of Champions, Arab Club Champions Cup, and a few international matches that he played for Portugal. However, as per RMC Sport, FIFA doesn’t recognize the UAFA’s Arab Club Champions Cup as a major competition. Back in August, when Al Nassr won the competition Saudi Arabia’s Sports Minister labelled the competition as a “friendly tournament.” Ronaldo had scored six goals in this competition, including a brace against Al Hilal in the final to clinch the first silverware with the Riyadh side. But if the tournament is not considered a major event, it means Ronaldo’s goals in it won’t count, bringing his tally to just 47. 

It will be a big blow for the 38-year-old and his fans. Notably, Ronaldo still has one game left to play on December 30th against Al Taawoun. Meanwhile, Mbappe and Kane’s domestic sides will play in January 2024 due to the ongoing winter break in the French and German leagues, respectively. Although Haaland’s Manchester City plays tomorrow, the Norwegian superstar could miss the game due to his injury.

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It means Ronaldo still has a chance to improve this tally, but he would need to score five goals to even match Mbappe and Kane’s record of 52. Remarkably, this isn’t the first time a player from the Saudi Pro League will be overshadowed despite being the top scorer in a calendar year.

READ MORE: Roberto Martinez Credits Saudi Pro League for ‘Positive’ Influence on Cristiano Ronaldo & Portugal NT Teammates – “Able to Play at a High Level”

When the top scorer of the world got overshadowed

Abderrazak Hamdallah, a Moroccan striker who previously played for Al-Nassr and is now with Al-Ittihad, set a new record in 2019 by scoring 57 goals in a calendar year. Unfortunately, his achievements were overshadowed as attentions were drawn worldwide to then-Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski, who scored 54 goals. Even though the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) recognized Hamdallah as 2019’s top scorer, many media outlets gave the spotlight to the Pole Lewandowski.

Notably, many statistics-based reference websites like Transfermarkt also don’t take non-FIFA-recognised competitions like the Arab Club Champions Cup into consideration. Could this mean not Ronaldo but Haaland will end up being the top scorer in this calendar year? Or given Ronaldo’s iconic status will the media and authorities recognize him as the world’s top scorer this year?

WATCH THIS STORY: Ten Times Cristiano Ronaldo Scored Four Goals in a Game