Cristiano Ronaldo may not be the player with the most goals in 2023 after FIFA’s controversial decision.

Cristiano Ronaldo can’t stop surprising the football world, even as he leaves Europe. With a double in Al Nassr’s 5-2 victory over Al Ittihad in round 18 of the Saudi Pro League, CR7 became the top scorer in 2023. with 53 goals. The Portuguese superstar has surpassed other famous names Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe – who both have 52 goals this year, as well as Erling Haaland, who has 50 goals.

However, FIFA’s surprising regulations may prevent Ronaldo from winning the coveted top scorer position.

Accordingly, the 53 goals that Ronaldo scored in the calendar year 2023 are due to his participation in the Saudi Pro League, AFC Champions League, Kings Cup of Champions, Arab Club Champions Cup and a number of international matches in the Portuguese national team. Dental.

However, RMC Sport reported that FIFA does not recognize UAFA’s Arab Club Champions Cup as a major tournament. Ronaldo scored 6 goals in this tournament, including a double against Al Hilal in the final to win his first silver cup with the Riyadh team. This means that FIFA will not consider those 6 goals, reducing CR7’s total number of goals to 47.

Ronaldo may lose the title of top scorer in 2023 because of FIFA regulations. Photo: GETTY.

This will definitely be a big shock for the 38-year-old player and those who love him, because winning this achievement It’s not simple at all.

Ronaldo still has one match left on December 30 against Al Taawoun. Meanwhile, Mbappe and Kane’s parent clubs will play in January 2024. Although Haaland’s Manchester City will have two more matches this year, the Norwegian superstar will almost certainly be absent due to injury.

That means Ronaldo still has a chance to improve his scoring record, but he will need to score 5 goals to match the 52 goals of Mbappe and Kane. Notably, this is not the first time FIFA regulations have denied a player the top scorer title.

Abderrazak Hamdallah – the Moroccan striker who previously played for Al Nassr and is currently playing for Al Ittihad, shone brightly in 2019 when he scored 57 goals in one calendar year. Unfortunately, FIFA overlooked the player’s sensational performance as worldwide attention focused on Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored 54 goals.

Robert Lewandowski was recognized by FIFA as the world’s top scorer in 2019, despite being 3 goals behind Abderrazak Hamdallah. Photo: GETTY.

The move certainly raises questions about whether FIFA should consider statistics from tournaments it does not recognize. Notably, many statistics-based reference websites such as Transfermarkt also do not take into account tournaments not recognized by FIFA such as the Arab Club Champions Cup. In any case, it is a huge blow to Ronaldo’s inability to become top scorer in the 2023 season.