Ronaldo spent 2023 successfully in many aspects.

Cristiano Ronaldo faces the opportunity to end 2023 as the player who scored the most goals in the past 12 calendar months. He has 50 goals and has 3 more matches to improve his achievement. Middle Eastern football still plays during Christmas and New Year, so CR7 holds a big advantage compared to his colleagues.

The scoring machine of 2023

At this time, Harry Kane is leading the list of scoring the most goals in the 2023 calendar year with 52 goals. However, he no longer has the opportunity to improve his performance. The England captain just took the field with Bayern to face Wolfsburg in the early morning of December 21 (Hanoi time), then entered the winter break of German football.

Another striker is also in the race to score the most goals in 2023, which is Kylian Mbappe. The PSG striker also owns 52 goals. But Mbappe also just played his last match in 2023, which was the confrontation between PSG and Metz in round 17 of Ligue 1 on December 21.

Ronaldo ranks right behind Kane and Mbappe with 50 goals. Erling Haaland also has 50 goals but the Norwegian striker is injured. Man City has 3 more matches in 2023 and according to Pep Guardiola, Haaland will likely only return to play on the last day of the year (December 31), in the match against Sheffield United in the Premier League.

Ronaldo has 3 more matches to monopolize the title of highest scorer in 2023. Al Nassr will face Al-Ettifaq, Al Ittihad and Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Arabia National Championship before entering the mid-season break.

The Portuguese superstar is currently very energetic and in high form. In the last 6 matches on the field, Ronaldo scored 6 goals. In 2023, Ronaldo played 56 matches, scored 50 goals and assisted 14 times. The former Manchester United star scored 40 goals in 47 matches for Al Nassr. In the Portuguese team shirt, Ronaldo scored 10 goals in 9 matches.

This is the first time since 2017 that Ronaldo reached the 50-goal mark in a calendar year. Previously, the Portuguese captain reached this milestone for 7 consecutive years from 2011 to 2017.

2023 will witness a more successful Ronaldo than last year.

About to turn 39 in February next year, but Ronaldo shows no signs of stopping. He ended 2022 with many unhappy events, leaving Old Trafford through the back door. The controversy between Ronaldo and the “Red Devils” has affected the image of this superstar to some extent.

At the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo also had reason to be disappointed when coach Fernando Santos pushed him to the bench in important matches. Not stopping there, Ronaldo also had to sit and watch his great rival Lionel Messi reap World Cup glory.

However, it all seems to be just motivation for CR7 to continue maintaining its peak status. In terms of making money, Ronaldo still has no rivals in the football world.

Number one in the world in terms of income

Statistics from Forbes show that Ronaldo is still the number one highest-paid player in 2023. The Portuguese striker earned 260 million USD in the past 12 months, mainly from the salary paid to Al Nassr.

Last year 2022, Ronaldo was usurped by Mbappe after the French striker signed a new contract with PSG. However, moving to Saudi Arabia to play helped Ronaldo return to the number one position in terms of income among players.

Ronaldo is still the number one earning player in the world.

In addition to his salary in Saudi Arabia, 2023 will also see Ronaldo make a fortune in business activities off the field. He continuously invests in new business projects. In addition, sponsorship contracts also helped CR7 earn about 60 million USD .

Ronaldo’s great rival, Lionel Messi, ranked second with 135 million USD , quite far behind the Portuguese superstar’s income. By still contributing to Al Nassr next season, it is likely that Ronaldo will still hold the No. 1 position in income among players in 2024.

Besides, next year is also when EURO 2024 takes place, and CR7 certainly has more motivation to maintain his form to be on the list for the European Championship with Portugal. If he plays well at EURO 2024, Ronaldo’s chance to compete for the Golden Ball is entirely possible.

The Sports section introduces readers to books to understand more about the birth, competition and how the Champions League rose to become the most prestigious tournament in Europe.