Portugal and Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo is set to end 2023 as the world’s top scorer after he bagged his 54th goal of the year to lift Al Nassr to a 4-1 victory over Al Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday. Scoring 54 goals in just 59 matches, the 37-year-old player leads Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, both with 54 goals, and Erling Haaland, who has scored 50 goals in all competitions.

This is the fifth season in which Ronaldo has finished as the world’s top scorer, achieving the feat in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015 while at Real Madrid. The Portuguese striker celebrated his achievement on Instagram, writing: “54 — I’ll say when it’s finished! Thanks, team.”

Ronaldo’s 54th goal of the season came on the anniversary of his controversial departure from Manchester United last year. The last time he surpassed this figure was in 2016 when he scored 55 goals and won one of his five Ballon d’Or awards. The Portuguese striker is leading this season’s Saudi Pro League top scorers charts with 20 goals in 18 games.

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Portugal thumped Luxembourg 9-0 in their European Championship qualifier on Monday night despite being without captain Cristiano Ronaldo. This victory gives Portugal a five-point cushion at the top of Group J, putting them comfortably on track to qualifying for Euro 2024.

After picking up a second yellow card in consecutive games, Ronaldo was suspended from a match that proved to be a prime opportunity for him to extend his international goalscoring record of 123 goals. Still, this victory served as proof of Portugal’s strong team chemistry, with six different scorers on the night.

“It was perfect because the players had the same attitude from the first to the last minute,” Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez commented after the game. “They remained concentrated not only in attack but to ensure we kept a clean sheet. As a coach, I really liked the attitude of the players, and they have a place in the history of Portuguese football.” So far in qualifying, Portugal has scored 24 goals in six games without conceding a single goal.

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Portugal and Al Nassr star forward Cristiano Ronaldo continues to add more records to his already impressive resume. By starring in Portugal’s 4-0 win over Liechtenstein in UEFA EURO qualifiers, Ronaldo broke the record for most international appearances.

Liechtenstein game was Ronaldo’s 197th on a senior international level, which is one more than the previous record holder, Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa, has. Ronaldo also scored two goals to commemorate his record-breaking appearance. 

Ronaldo tied Al-Mutawa’s record during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but didn’t have a chance to break it as Portugal got knocked out in the quarterfinals. This was followed by doubts about his future on the team as his relationship with head coach Fernando Santos turned sour. Ronaldo was left on the bench in both matches of the knockout stage as Santos favored younger players.

Everything changed once Portugal’s Football Federation fired Santos and installed former Belgium boss Roberto Martinez as his replacement. Martinez made it clear that he still wanted Ronaldo on his team from the get-go, and even had him starting the game against Liechtenstein.

Ronaldo also holds the record for most goals scored on the international level. He surpassed Iranian Ali Dei’s 109 goals back in 2021 and currently has 120 goals in international tournaments and friendlies.

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Portugal manager Fernando Santos stated that he feels no regrets over excluding Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting lineup in Portugal’s World Cup quarterfinal loss to Morocco on Saturday night. Ronaldo only came on in the 51st minute of the 1-0 defeat in place of central midfielder Rúben Neves.

Following the defeat, Santos was questioned about his decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench, as he did in Portugal’s 6-1 triumph over Switzerland in the Round of 16. “I don’t think so, no regrets,” Santos replied.

“I think this was a team which played very well against Switzerland. Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player, he came in when we thought it was necessary, so no regrets,” Santos continued.

The Portugal boss added that both he and Ronaldo feel emotional about the result, however, this is just a natural part of the game. He went on to express uncertainty over his future as Portugal’s coach. When asked whether he would like to stay on in his role, Santos stated that he would have to have a discussion with the president of the Portuguese Football Association once he is back in Portugal in order to discuss his contract.

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Portuguese superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo still hasn’t decided on his club’s future despite recent reports that he inked a lucrative deal with Saudi Arabia side Al-Nassr. Instead, Ronaldo remains focused on the 2022 World Cup and will wait for the tournament to end before considering his next step.

High-profile Spanish outlet Marca reported over the weekend that Ronaldo has accepted Al-Nassr’s offer. According to this report, the 37-year-old player inked a 2 ½ year deal starting on January 1st that would net him $200 million per season. 

Several sources close to the matter confirmed that Ronaldo has the offer from Al-Nassr and that it is worth $200 million per season, including sponsorship deals. However, the player still hasn’t signed or accepted anything. 

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently a free agent after agreeing to a mutual contract termination with Premier League side Manchester United. The move was a result of Ronaldo’s frustration with lack of playing time and poor relationship with new head coach Erik Ten Hag.

Ronaldo’s main goal is to remain in Europe and continue playing for a competitive team that takes part in Championship League. However, it is unclear whether that is a possibility since there seems to be a lack of interest in his services, especially among top European teams.

The post Reports of Cristiano Ronaldo Signing With Al-Nassr Appear to Be “False” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Nobody, not even the Manchester United star himself, knows how much longer Cristiano Ronaldo will play for the Portugal national team. And Ronaldo made sure to point out this during his recent press conference.

Addressing the rumors that the 2022 World Cup will be his last competition with the national side if Portugal qualifies, Ronaldo said that he still didn’t make that decision.

“I’m starting to be asked the same question,” Ronaldo explained. “The one who is going to decide my future is me, nobody else. If I feel like playing more, I’ll play, if I don’t feel like playing more, I won’t. I’ll decide, period.”

Ronaldo added that his focus and the focus of the team is not his international future but the task of getting Portugal to the World Cup in Qatar. After failing to secure their spot during the European Qualifiers group stage, Portugal’s national team got the opportunity for a do-over in additional qualifiers.

In order to make the cut, Portugal has to beat North Macedonia in the finals match on Tuesday. Portugal previously beat Turkey, while N. Macedonia shockingly eliminated European Champions Italy.

Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal’s senior team in 2003 when he was 18 years old. Since then, he has made 185 appearances and scored world-record 115 goals. He also helped his country win UEFA European Championship in 2016 and UEFA Nations League in 2019.

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International soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and has entered insolation after learning of the news.

Ronaldo, who had been with the Portugal men’s national team while participating in the UEFA Nations League competition, got news of his positive test on Tuesday while with the team in Lisbon.

The Juventus star last played in a match on Sunday, when Portugal drew 0-0 with France in a Nations League group stage matchup in Paris. Ronaldo played all 90 minutes of the match and appeared to be healthy.

There is speculation that Ronaldo could have been infected by a Juventus coaching staff member after it was revealed last week that two of them had tested positive for the virus.

Fortunately for the star player, the Portuguese soccer federation confirmed in a statement that he is currently symptom-free and feeling fine despite testing positive.

A round of testing for the rest of the players on the national team also conducted on Tuesday, found no other positive results.

The 35-year-old scorer will now remain in isolation in Portugal until he receives two negative test results, which is when he will be cleared to return to his team for training.

Juventus is set to take on Crotone this Saturday in a match that their star player will almost certainly be forced to miss.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo in Isolation After Positive COVID-19 Test appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It was a magical night for Cristiano Ronaldo in Stockholm, Sweden last night, as the Portuguese striker scored two magnificent goals to push his career tally over the 100 mark for his country.

In Portugal’s 0-2 Nations League win over Sweden, Ronaldo starred as he tends to do for his native country. His first goal came just before halftime after he scored a free-kick goal from 28 meters out to give his team a 0-1 advantage.

This goal was the one hundredth of Ronaldo’s senior career with Portugal, who extended his career scoring mark over Pauleta’s 47.

Ronaldo then scored a second goal after halftime in the 72 minute mark, blasting an out-of-the-box spot into the top right corner, beating Sweden goalie Robin Olsen.

The ageless wonder’s 101st international goal put him just eight goals behind Iran’s Ali Daei for the top all-time men’s international goal scoring mark. At Ronaldo’s current pace, he’s nearly a sure thing to become the top goal scorer for his country over the next couple of years, at most.

The 35-year-old will now head back to Turin, Italy after two Nations League victories as he prepares for the upcoming 2020-21 season with his club team Juventus.

The post Ronaldo Scores 100th International Goal in Portugal Win appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Monday night might have been a disappointment for the Portuguese national team after a 2-1 loss to Ukraine in European qualifying, but forward Cristiano Ronaldo had a special night that he will never forget.

Ronaldo scored his 700th career goal for club and country in the match after scoring a penalty past keeper Andriy Pyatov in the 72nd minute of the match. It was the only real moment to smile about for Portugal on a disappointing night in Kiev.

The Madeira native became only the sixth player in the history of the sport to notch 700 career goals. Gerd Muller, Ferenc Puskas, Pele, Romario, and Josef Bican are the only other players to have ever accomplished the feat.

The penalty kick was the 95th of Ronaldo’s career with his native country. His other 605 goals have come with his club teams, Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus.

The prolific Portuguese forward has scored his 700 goals in only 974 career games, giving him an average of 0.72 goals per match.

His longtime rival, Lionel Messi, is set to be the next player to reach the 700 goal mark. He has scored 672 goals in his career with Barcelona and Argentina and could reach the mark later this season.

It’s an incredible accomplishment that speaks to the quality of the career of one of the greatest soccer players in history.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Career Goal #700 in Loss vs. Ukraine appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portugal and Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo is set to end 2023 as the world’s top scorer after he bagged his 54th goal of the year to lift Al Nassr to a 4-1 victory over Al Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday. Scoring 54 goals in just 59 matches, the 37-year-old player leads Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, both with 54 goals, and Erling Haaland, who has scored 50 goals in all competitions.

This is the fifth season in which Ronaldo has finished as the world’s top scorer, achieving the feat in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015 while at Real Madrid. The Portuguese striker celebrated his achievement on Instagram, writing: “54 — I’ll say when it’s finished! Thanks, team.”

Ronaldo’s 54th goal of the season came on the anniversary of his controversial departure from Manchester United last year. The last time he surpassed this figure was in 2016 when he scored 55 goals and won one of his five Ballon d’Or awards. The Portuguese striker is leading this season’s Saudi Pro League top scorers charts with 20 goals in 18 games.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo to End 2023 as World’s Top Scorer appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portugal thumped Luxembourg 9-0 in their European Championship qualifier on Monday night despite being without captain Cristiano Ronaldo. This victory gives Portugal a five-point cushion at the top of Group J, putting them comfortably on track to qualifying for Euro 2024.

After picking up a second yellow card in consecutive games, Ronaldo was suspended from a match that proved to be a prime opportunity for him to extend his international goalscoring record of 123 goals. Still, this victory served as proof of Portugal’s strong team chemistry, with six different scorers on the night.

“It was perfect because the players had the same attitude from the first to the last minute,” Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez commented after the game. “They remained concentrated not only in attack but to ensure we kept a clean sheet. As a coach, I really liked the attitude of the players, and they have a place in the history of Portuguese football.” So far in qualifying, Portugal has scored 24 goals in six games without conceding a single goal.

The post Portugal Rally to Nine-Goal Victory Despite Ronaldo Absence appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portugal and Al Nassr star forward Cristiano Ronaldo continues to add more records to his already impressive resume. By starring in Portugal’s 4-0 win over Liechtenstein in UEFA EURO qualifiers, Ronaldo broke the record for most international appearances.

Liechtenstein game was Ronaldo’s 197th on a senior international level, which is one more than the previous record holder, Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa, has. Ronaldo also scored two goals to commemorate his record-breaking appearance. 

Ronaldo tied Al-Mutawa’s record during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but didn’t have a chance to break it as Portugal got knocked out in the quarterfinals. This was followed by doubts about his future on the team as his relationship with head coach Fernando Santos turned sour. Ronaldo was left on the bench in both matches of the knockout stage as Santos favored younger players.

Everything changed once Portugal’s Football Federation fired Santos and installed former Belgium boss Roberto Martinez as his replacement. Martinez made it clear that he still wanted Ronaldo on his team from the get-go, and even had him starting the game against Liechtenstein.

Ronaldo also holds the record for most goals scored on the international level. He surpassed Iranian Ali Dei’s 109 goals back in 2021 and currently has 120 goals in international tournaments and friendlies.

The post Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo Breaks the Record for Most International Appearances appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portugal manager Fernando Santos stated that he feels no regrets over excluding Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting lineup in Portugal’s World Cup quarterfinal loss to Morocco on Saturday night. Ronaldo only came on in the 51st minute of the 1-0 defeat in place of central midfielder Rúben Neves.

Following the defeat, Santos was questioned about his decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench, as he did in Portugal’s 6-1 triumph over Switzerland in the Round of 16. “I don’t think so, no regrets,” Santos replied.

“I think this was a team which played very well against Switzerland. Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player, he came in when we thought it was necessary, so no regrets,” Santos continued.

The Portugal boss added that both he and Ronaldo feel emotional about the result, however, this is just a natural part of the game. He went on to express uncertainty over his future as Portugal’s coach. When asked whether he would like to stay on in his role, Santos stated that he would have to have a discussion with the president of the Portuguese Football Association once he is back in Portugal in order to discuss his contract.

The post Portugal Boss Insists That He Does Not Regret Decision to Bench Ronaldo appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portuguese superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo still hasn’t decided on his club’s future despite recent reports that he inked a lucrative deal with Saudi Arabia side Al-Nassr. Instead, Ronaldo remains focused on the 2022 World Cup and will wait for the tournament to end before considering his next step.

High-profile Spanish outlet Marca reported over the weekend that Ronaldo has accepted Al-Nassr’s offer. According to this report, the 37-year-old player inked a 2 ½ year deal starting on January 1st that would net him $200 million per season. 

Several sources close to the matter confirmed that Ronaldo has the offer from Al-Nassr and that it is worth $200 million per season, including sponsorship deals. However, the player still hasn’t signed or accepted anything. 

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently a free agent after agreeing to a mutual contract termination with Premier League side Manchester United. The move was a result of Ronaldo’s frustration with lack of playing time and poor relationship with new head coach Erik Ten Hag.

Ronaldo’s main goal is to remain in Europe and continue playing for a competitive team that takes part in Championship League. However, it is unclear whether that is a possibility since there seems to be a lack of interest in his services, especially among top European teams.

The post Reports of Cristiano Ronaldo Signing With Al-Nassr Appear to Be “False” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Nobody, not even the Manchester United star himself, knows how much longer Cristiano Ronaldo will play for the Portugal national team. And Ronaldo made sure to point out this during his recent press conference.

Addressing the rumors that the 2022 World Cup will be his last competition with the national side if Portugal qualifies, Ronaldo said that he still didn’t make that decision.

“I’m starting to be asked the same question,” Ronaldo explained. “The one who is going to decide my future is me, nobody else. If I feel like playing more, I’ll play, if I don’t feel like playing more, I won’t. I’ll decide, period.”

Ronaldo added that his focus and the focus of the team is not his international future but the task of getting Portugal to the World Cup in Qatar. After failing to secure their spot during the European Qualifiers group stage, Portugal’s national team got the opportunity for a do-over in additional qualifiers.

In order to make the cut, Portugal has to beat North Macedonia in the finals match on Tuesday. Portugal previously beat Turkey, while N. Macedonia shockingly eliminated European Champions Italy.

Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal’s senior team in 2003 when he was 18 years old. Since then, he has made 185 appearances and scored world-record 115 goals. He also helped his country win UEFA European Championship in 2016 and UEFA Nations League in 2019.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo Denies Reports About Portugal Retirement appeared first on SportzBonanza.

International soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and has entered insolation after learning of the news.

Ronaldo, who had been with the Portugal men’s national team while participating in the UEFA Nations League competition, got news of his positive test on Tuesday while with the team in Lisbon.

The Juventus star last played in a match on Sunday, when Portugal drew 0-0 with France in a Nations League group stage matchup in Paris. Ronaldo played all 90 minutes of the match and appeared to be healthy.

There is speculation that Ronaldo could have been infected by a Juventus coaching staff member after it was revealed last week that two of them had tested positive for the virus.

Fortunately for the star player, the Portuguese soccer federation confirmed in a statement that he is currently symptom-free and feeling fine despite testing positive.

A round of testing for the rest of the players on the national team also conducted on Tuesday, found no other positive results.

The 35-year-old scorer will now remain in isolation in Portugal until he receives two negative test results, which is when he will be cleared to return to his team for training.

Juventus is set to take on Crotone this Saturday in a match that their star player will almost certainly be forced to miss.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo in Isolation After Positive COVID-19 Test appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It was a magical night for Cristiano Ronaldo in Stockholm, Sweden last night, as the Portuguese striker scored two magnificent goals to push his career tally over the 100 mark for his country.

In Portugal’s 0-2 Nations League win over Sweden, Ronaldo starred as he tends to do for his native country. His first goal came just before halftime after he scored a free-kick goal from 28 meters out to give his team a 0-1 advantage.

This goal was the one hundredth of Ronaldo’s senior career with Portugal, who extended his career scoring mark over Pauleta’s 47.

Ronaldo then scored a second goal after halftime in the 72 minute mark, blasting an out-of-the-box spot into the top right corner, beating Sweden goalie Robin Olsen.

The ageless wonder’s 101st international goal put him just eight goals behind Iran’s Ali Daei for the top all-time men’s international goal scoring mark. At Ronaldo’s current pace, he’s nearly a sure thing to become the top goal scorer for his country over the next couple of years, at most.

The 35-year-old will now head back to Turin, Italy after two Nations League victories as he prepares for the upcoming 2020-21 season with his club team Juventus.

The post Ronaldo Scores 100th International Goal in Portugal Win appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Monday night might have been a disappointment for the Portuguese national team after a 2-1 loss to Ukraine in European qualifying, but forward Cristiano Ronaldo had a special night that he will never forget.

Ronaldo scored his 700th career goal for club and country in the match after scoring a penalty past keeper Andriy Pyatov in the 72nd minute of the match. It was the only real moment to smile about for Portugal on a disappointing night in Kiev.

The Madeira native became only the sixth player in the history of the sport to notch 700 career goals. Gerd Muller, Ferenc Puskas, Pele, Romario, and Josef Bican are the only other players to have ever accomplished the feat.

The penalty kick was the 95th of Ronaldo’s career with his native country. His other 605 goals have come with his club teams, Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus.

The prolific Portuguese forward has scored his 700 goals in only 974 career games, giving him an average of 0.72 goals per match.

His longtime rival, Lionel Messi, is set to be the next player to reach the 700 goal mark. He has scored 672 goals in his career with Barcelona and Argentina and could reach the mark later this season.

It’s an incredible accomplishment that speaks to the quality of the career of one of the greatest soccer players in history.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Career Goal #700 in Loss vs. Ukraine appeared first on SportzBonanza.