Cristiano Ronaldo will be the world's top scorer in 2023. At 38, the Al-Nassr striker surpassed much younger players such as Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, who were just a goal or two away from equaling “CR7”. As if that wasn't enough, the Portuguese will have one last opportunity to improve his records this Saturday when his club plays Al-Taawon in the Saudi League. However, no matter how many goals he scores in this game, he will not be able to get the goal Awarded as the best goalscorer in the world the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
The reason for this particular situation lies in the criteria established by the organization for awarding this recognition, as the IFFHS only takes into account goals scored in official international matches by both clubs and national teams. This year, Cristiano scored 13 goals internationally: three for the Asian Champions League and another ten for qualification for Euro 2024.
Cristiano Ronaldo started playing for Al-Nassr in January 2023. Photo: EFE
The player who will receive the award this year is Romelu Lukaku, thanks to the 22 successes he achieved with the Belgian national team, Inter Milan and AS Roma. The last time the 'Bug' won this award was in 2019, when he scored 21 goals internationally (with Juventus and Portugal).
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IFFHS leaves Cristiano Ronaldo out of its top 10
Most recently, the IFFHS caused controversy by excluding the Portuguese from its ranking of the world's top 10 players in 2023. The list was headed by Erling Haaland, followed by Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. The other seven footballers on the list are Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Kevin de Bruyne, Harry Kane, Bernardo Silva, Vinícius Jr. and Lautaro Martínez.
How many goals did Cristiano Ronaldo score in 2023?
This year, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a total of 53 goals, one more than Mbappé, Harry Kane and three more than Haaland. That number is well below the 69 goals he scored in 2013, a career personal record.