Cristiano Ronaldo’s pursuit of 1,000 career goals has been overshadowed by a scoring controversy after his 982nd goal was disputed by four major football statistics platforms.
Al Nassr defeated Al Faisaly 3-1, with the contentious goal arriving in the 49th minute. João Félix delivered a free kick, and the ball entered the net after passing between Ronaldo and Al Faisaly defender Andrei Girotto.
Ronaldo immediately celebrated with his trademark “Siu” celebration. However, video replays did not conclusively establish whether the ball touched the Portuguese forward before crossing the goal line.
Statistics Platforms Disagree Over Goal
Opta, SofaScore, FotMob and Flashscore recorded the strike as an own goal by Girotto, leaving Ronaldo’s career tally at 981 according to their records.
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In contrast, the Saudi Pro League’s official records and the referee’s report credited the goal to Ronaldo, creating conflicting accounts of his career total.
The disagreement has implications for Ronaldo’s pursuit of the 1,000-goal milestone. Under the Saudi league’s accounting, the 40-year-old is 18 goals away from the target, while the statistics platforms’ records suggest he needs another 19.
Ronaldo scored again in the 52nd minute, but the effort was ruled out for offside following a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
The conflicting records have renewed debate over how the milestone should be calculated, with the final tally depending on which scoring record is followed.
Ronaldo Reportedly Becomes Football’s First Billionaire Player
Away from the pitch, Ronaldo has also reached a significant financial milestone. According to Forbes, the Portuguese superstar has become the first football player to achieve billionaire status.
The 41-year-old reportedly earned approximately £225 million over the past year through his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, advertising agreements and business ventures.
According to the report, Ronaldo receives around £488,000 per day from Al Nassr, while endorsements and other commercial activities generated an additional £42 million.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi ranked second on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid footballers, with estimated annual earnings of £109 million.
France forward Kylian Mbappe placed third with £75 million, followed by Manchester City striker Erling Haaland in fourth and Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior in fifth. Spanish teenage star Lamine Yamal ranked sixth.
Ronaldo and Messi have occupied the top two positions on the list 12 times over the past 13 years, reflecting their sustained earning power and commercial appeal.
Ronaldo’s disputed goal and reported financial achievement highlight two different aspects of his career: his continued pursuit of a historic scoring milestone and his commercial success beyond football.
