Not everyone stays true to the commitments they made long ago. But Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be a man of his word. In an intriguing revelation, his former colleague Marius Niculae has shed light on a 20-year-old promise to rule the soccer world at the pinnacle that CR7 made amidst the Portuguese superstar’s achievement of becoming the top scorer for 2023. 

Ronaldo’s commitment and determination from twenty years ago are still evident today, as he currently holds the top position as the leading goal scorer of the 2023 calendar year with 53 goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo fulfilled his 20-year-old promise as said by colleague!

One of his former Sporting CP teammates, Marius Niculae, recently hailed Ronaldo. Niculae posted an old picture of himself alongside a young CR7, who was then playing for Sporting CP. Aside from this, he wrote a caption saying, “Next to @cristiano back when he told me he was going to be No. 1! Now, at the age of 38, he still breaks record after record! He reached 1,000 games for club teams and 33 games he played for @sportingcp!” As Niculae suggests, they clicked the picture at the very same moment, when Ronaldo made this promise to his teammate.

Notably, Niculae arrived at Sporting CP in 2001 and shared the locker room with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner until 2003. While Ronaldo is playing the beautiful game on the outskirts of dessert at 38, Niculae, on the other hand, is enjoying his retirement at 42, having hung up his boots in 2016. Either way, it is quite a striking and unheard-of revelation from the Romanian icon. It must have brought a smile to Ronaldo’s face. However, there are concerns that he might not be the top scorer due to FIFA’s controversial policy. 

FIFA may spoil the party for CR7

FIFA does not officially recognize the UAFA’s Arab Club Champions Cup as a major competition. It implies that Ronaldo’s six goals in the tournament will not be included in his overall tally, leaving him with just 47 goals. Furthermore, when Al Nassr secured victory in the tournament, Saudi Arabia’s Sports Minister referred to it as a “friendly tournament.”

READ MORE: “Cristiano Is Playing There” – Australian Open-Bound Carlos Alcaraz Reveals Surprise Fandom for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr

Yet, Ronaldo still has an opportunity to enhance his goal count, with one more game scheduled for December 30th against Al Taawoun before the year concludes. However, to match the records set by Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane at 52 goals, he would need to score five more goals. If FIFA doesn’t bend its rules, it will be an enormous blow for Ronaldo. 

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