Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, scored in Al Nassr’s 5-2 triumph over host Al Shabab in the King Cup quarterfinals.

*Scorers: Carlos (24), Bahebri (90), Fofana (17), Mane (28), Ghareeb (45), Ronaldo (74), Maran (96).

Ronaldo received the ball at the edge of the left penalty area in the 74th minute, passed it to Otavio, and then sprinted inside. Otavio received the ball and passed it to the Al Nassr captain, who broke the offside trap and shot one-touch to the far corner in a face-to-face situation, bringing the score to 4-1. Ronaldo planned to jump and spin for pleasure, but when he saw the reserve players gather around the corner to share in the celebration, he hurried to hug his friends instead.

Ronaldo has played 56 matches this year, scoring 50 goals and assisting 14 times, leading the scoring chart in 2023 by one goal over Harry Kane and Erling Haaland. He scored 40 goals and assisted 12 times in 47 games for Al Nassr, with the remainder coming with Portugal. The 38-year-old legend scored 12 penalty goals, three free kicks from the wall, and six long-range goals. He can yet improve on this feat, as Al Nassr has three more matches before the conclusion of the year.

Ronaldo has now scored 50 goals in a single season for the first time since 2017. Previously, from 2011 to 2017, the Portuguese skipper attained this milestone seven years in a row. His greatest season was 2013, when he scored 69 goals for Real Madrid and the squad. CR7 also set a football record with 869 goals in his career.

Ronaldo responded to Al Shabab fans by pointing to his ear moments after scoring. Lionel Messi’s name was chanted by the home crowd after each squandered opportunity. At one time, captain Al Nassr motioned with his palm as if he wanted them to scream louder. For over 15 years, Messi has been Ronaldo’s main opponent, with both taking turns winning the Golden Ball. In addition, the Argentine superstar set a record by scoring 91 goals in 2012.

While Messi is relaxing in Morocco because the season in the United States is over, Ronaldo is still working in Saudi Arabia. His goal on the evening of December 11 had little impact on the outcome of the match, as Al Nassr overcame their opponents 5-2 to advance to the semi-finals.

Al Shabab is based in the same city as Al Nassr and boasts three European-caliber players: Ever Banega, Romain Saiss, and Yannick Carrasco. They also had Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu on their side, as he pushed Ronaldo’s free kick into the top corner in the 13th minute.

The King Cup is similar to the Saudi Arabian National Cup in that it consists of 24 knockout teams. Al Nassr defeated Ohod 5-1 in the 1/16 round before overcoming Al-Ettifaq 1-0 in the 1/8 round. The defending champion Al Hilal is one of the opponents Ronaldo and his teammates may face in the semi-finals.