Ronaldo finished the 2023-2024 season with 50 goals in 51 games in all competitions, including 35 goals in 31 games in the Saudi League, breaking Abderrazak Hamdallah’s single-season scoring record. “I didn’t really think about breaking Hamdallah’s record when I was preparing for the 2023-2024 season,” he said on the Saudi League homepage. “But without my teammates, I couldn’t do this.”

This is the season that Ronaldo scored the most goals since his peak at Real Madrid in the period 2010-2016, when he always scored more than 50 goals. 13 assists is also the most for the Portuguese superstar since the 2015-2016 season. “Last season was the best of my career, not only in goals, but also in assists,” he added. “This means a lot because I made an effort.”

Ronaldo ended the season unfavorably, when Al Nassr lost 4-5 to Al Hilal in the penalty shootout of the Copa del Rey final. In the end he cried for a long time, from the time he was on the field until he sat in the technical area. But in an interview published on June 3, Captain Al Nassr regained his spirit. “I feel very happy,” he said. “I am proud to break the Saudi League record. My motivation is to continue training and playing like I do now.”

Ronaldo has scored 893 goals in 1,225 career matches, in all competitions. He once set out to score 1,000 goals before hanging up his shoes. “My goal for the 2024-2025 season remains the same: to dedicate myself, win titles and accumulate personal achievements,” said the former Manchester United forward. “I want to maintain the same form as last season, to help Al Nassr and the Portuguese team.”

Ronaldo will join Portugal at Euro 2024, which starts on June 14. Portugal is in Group F with Turkey, Georgia and the Czech Republic, with the first match on June 18. Before that, he played three friendly matches against Finland, Croatia and Ireland.