Cristiano Ronaldo referred to as his first full season within the Saudi Professional League “probably the greatest” of his profession after receiving the award on Monday for scoring essentially the most objectives within the league — a record-breaking 35.
The Portugal worldwide signed with Al Nassr on Dec. 30, 2022, and performed the second half of the SPL season in 2023. Throughout his first full season in Saudi Arabia in 2023-24, Ronaldo broke the league document for objectives in a season of 34, set by Abderrazak Hamdallah in 2018-19.
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“To be sincere it means quite a bit as a result of it is my work,” Ronaldo stated “I’ve to be sincere and say it isn’t one thing I used to be on the lookout for at first of the season however over time I began to see that it was attainable. So, I’ve the chance to say thanks to my teammates as a result of with out the workforce nothing individually would have been attainable.
“I really feel very proud to beat the Saudi league document. It is nice for me, I really feel blissful, and that is my motivation to play soccer, to coach each time and to hold on like that.”
Regardless of the person accolades, it was a trophy-less season for Ronaldo and Al Nassr, who completed second within the SPL behind Al Hilal, and did not win a trophy in any of the Asian Champions League, Saudi Tremendous Cup and Saudi King’s Cup.
It was a poor return for five-time Champions League winner Ronaldo after his high-profile transfer to the SPL, particularly in comparison with the quite a few accomplishments he achieved at different stops in his profession with groups like Manchester United, Actual Madrid and Juventus.
Ronaldo will now be a part of up along with his Portugal teammates forward of this summer season’s Euro, with the 2016 champions drawn towards Czech Republic, Turkey and Georgia within the group stage.
“I believe the objectives for every season is the type of the identical, it is to do your finest and win titles. If attainable, to gather particular person [trophies] as properly however my purpose is to be the identical — to be the identical Cristiano that you simply noticed this season, to do my finest, to realize objectives with Al Nassr and with my Portugal nationwide workforce as properly. To keep up my stage is what I am on the lookout for.”
Additionally on Monday, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez referred to as up Manchester Metropolis midfielder Matheus Nunes for the European Championship to exchange the injured Otávio, a teammate of Ronaldo’s at Al Nassr.
Nunes has 12 caps, although none in a aggressive recreation because the 2022 World Cup 18 months in the past.
Martinez didn’t decide Nunes throughout the workforce’s 10-win run by way of its qualifying group final 12 months. Nunes additionally was not an everyday starter for Man Metropolis coach Pep Guardiola of their English Premier League title season.