Despite Single-handedly Defeating Al-Hilal in Arab Club Champions Cup final, Ronaldo Fails to Secure Top Spot in Saudi Pro League’s Best Player Rankings:
Despite his prolific goalscoring form, Cristiano Ronaldo ranks third in the Saudi Pro League’s best players ranking so far this season according to football statistics website Sofascore. The 38-year-old Al Nassr superstar has scored 16 goals in just 17 games since his high-profile move to Saudi Arabia in January, but finds himself behind two other standout performers.
According to Arab News, Ronaldo has made a massive impact on Saudi football since his arrival, with record shirt sales and increased global interest. However, some local fans argue he still needs to deliver trophies for Al Nassr to justify his lucrative contract.
Al-Nassr have managed to win Arab Club Champions Cup in August 2-1 against Al-Hilal, Ronaldo scored 2 goals and secured their victory, he was awarded main of the match also won golden boot. But it seems not enough for the fans they wanted to see more trophies in the club.
According to sofascore top 1 player is Al Fateh’s Mourad Batna, with an average match rating of 8.11. As reported in The National, the Algerian midfielder has been a driving force for his club, scoring 7 goals and assisting 7 in a breakout campaign at age 25. His form has powered Al Fateh to an impressive 6th place position after 13 games with 24 points.
Ronaldo places third with an average match rating of 8.07, despite having more goals than Batna and Coronado combined. According to FIFA, Ronaldo’s influence was key in helping Al Nassr secure a spot in the AFC Champions League by finishing second last season, where he scored 14 goals in 16 games after joining.
Top 10 rating as per Sofascore:
1. Mourad Batna (8.11)
2. Igor Coronado (8.09)
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (8.07)
4. Karim Benzema (8.03) Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate
5. Salem Al-Dawsari (8.02)
6. Alvaro Medran (7.84)
7. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (7.73)
8. Malcom (7.71)
9. Riyad Mahrez (7.71) former Manchester City player
10. Faycal Fajr (7.67)
While Ronaldo has not been the Pro League’s standout player statistically so far, OptaJoe notes he is averaging a goal nearly every 60 minutes this season. He has still made a huge impact since his high-profile €200 million move to Saudi Arabia, his move to saudi also influenced other top players to move like Neymar, Benzema, N’Golo Kante.
Recently Neymar mentioned Ronaldo during an interview after signing his contract with Al-Hilal, who started the trend and has influenced other players to move to saudi.
Al-Nassr new coach Luís Castro seems happy with his performance, under his guidance Al-Nassr won Arab Club Champions Cup this year. Al-nassr’s Ronaldo, Sadio mane and Talisca are currently the strongest trio in saudi with 18-match winning streak. At 38, the Portuguese superstar is focused on leading Al Nassr to Pro League and Asian glory.
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