May 28th 2024.
In an exciting finale to the Saudi Pro League, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo set a new record for the most goals scored in a season on Monday. The Portuguese forward scored twice for his team, Al-Nassr, in their 4-2 victory over Al-Ittihad in Riyadh, bringing his total for the season to 35 goals. This surpassed the previous record of 34 goals set by Abderrazak Hamdallah in 2019.
Ronaldo's first goal came just before the end of the first half, after having two previous goals disallowed for offside. He expertly controlled a long pass from teammate Mohammed Al-Fatil and fired a low shot from the left side of the area to put his team in the lead. With 21 minutes remaining in the game, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored again, this time with a powerful header from a corner by Marcelo Brozovic. Ronaldo's stellar performance earned him a standing ovation from the home fans as he was substituted off the field just five minutes later.
It was a thrilling season for Ronaldo, who scored four hat tricks and also received one red card. He was also suspended for making an inappropriate gesture towards fans of Al-Shabab in February, who had been chanting the name of his longtime rival, Lionel Messi.
Despite Ronaldo's impressive performance, Al-Nassr finished second in the league, 14 points behind their local rivals, Al-Hilal. The latter had already secured the championship more than two weeks ago and ended the season unbeaten in 34 rounds of play. Even without star player Neymar, who suffered a season-ending injury in October, Al-Hilal dominated the league, with striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring 27 goals to finish just behind Ronaldo in the goal-scoring charts.
Al-Hilal also set a new world record for a top-tier team, with a 34-game winning streak in all competitions. Coach Jorge Jesus praised his team's talent and unity, which he believes played a crucial role in their exceptional season.
Meanwhile, defending champions Al-Ittihad had a disappointing season, finishing in fifth place. Despite signing high-profile players like Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, and Fabinho, the team from Jeddah struggled with poor results and ultimately had to part ways with their coach, Nuno Santo, in November. Santo returned to the English Premier League a month later to take over at Nottingham Forest.
The other Big Four club taken over by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund last June, Al-Ahli, finished in third place, 17 points behind Al-Nassr. They ended their season with a 1-0 win over Al-Fayha, thanks to a late goal from former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino, who scored his ninth goal of the season.
However, it was Ronaldo who stole the show, and he will have one more chance to add a trophy to his impressive collection when Al-Nassr takes on Al-Hilal in the King's Cup final on Friday. It has been a remarkable season for the 39-year-old, and his contributions have undoubtedly cemented his status as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
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