Tag: Cristiano Ronaldo

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European football: Mbappé matches Ronaldo’s record as Real close on Barça

Kylian Mbappé equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 59 goals in a calendar year for Real Madrid with a late penalty in his side’s 2-0 home win over Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday, the French forward celebrating his 27th birthday in style.

Mbappé missed several earlier chances before getting his chance from the spot four minutes from time and he made no mistake to net his 59th goal in as many games across all competitions in 2025 to level Ronaldo’s 2013 haul.

Jude Bellingham put Real in front with a header seven minutes before half-time and Sevilla went down to 10 men with 22 minutes remaining after Marcão received a second booking but the hosts had keeper Thibaut Courtois to thank for keeping them ahead.

“Today, and because of the record, it’s incredible, in my first year to be able to do what Cristiano did,” Mbappé said afterwards. “My idol, the best player in the history of Real Madrid and a reference in world football. It’s an honour for me.”

Mbappé marked his goal by reproducing Ronaldo’s celebration, saying later: “I wanted to give him a little nod because he has always been affectionate with me. Normally I have my own celebration, but I wanted to share that with him, and like I said, he’s been my idol since I was a kid. I have a very good relationship with him, he’s a friend now.”

Real are second in the table on 42 points, one behind Barcelona who are away to third-placed Villarreal on Sunday, while Sevilla are ninth on 20 points.

Juventus kept themselves in the Serie A race with a 2-1 home win over AS Roma on Saturday, with Francisco Conceição and Loïs Openda netting the goals for the home side and Tommaso Baldanzi scoring for the visitors.

With the top three clubs all away at the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, Roma were looking to take advantage and move level on points with leaders Inter Milan. Instead, Juventus moved back into the title hunt, one point behind Roma who remain fourth on 30 points, with Juventus fifth. Milan are in second place, with Napoli third.

Roma continue to struggle against the top sides having already lost to Inter, Milan and Napoli this season.

Bayer Leverkusen scored twice in four minutes to earn a 3-1 comeback victory at RB Leipzig, snapping their hosts’ unbeaten run at home this season and climbing into third going into the Bundesliga’s winter break.

Leverkusen are on 29 points, three behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund, 2-0 winners against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday. Bayern Munich, leading on 38, are at Heidenheim on Sunday. Leipzig dropped to fourth on goal difference. (Guardian)

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SPL: Ronaldo scores bicycle kick in Al Nassr’s 4–1 win against Al Khaleej

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stoppage-time bicycle kick to cap Al Nassr’s 4–1 victory over Al Khaleej in their Saudi Pro League clash on Sunday night at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Al Nassr dominated early, with Joao Felix at the heart of the action. After two disallowed goals, the Portuguese forward finally broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, finishing a low cross into the bottom right corner.

Three minutes later, Felix won possession high up the pitch and set up Wesley, who curled a superb shot into the top corner to give the hosts a 2–0 lead at half-time.

Al Khaleej started the second half brightly and halved the deficit in the 47th minute through Hawsawi, who rifled a powerful strike into the top corner.

But Al Nassr regained control as the game wore on.

Sadio Mané restored the two-goal lead in the 77th minute, reacting quickest to a loose ball to curl home a fine first-time finish.

The visitors’ hopes of a comeback faded further when Kourbeli was shown a straight red card for stamping on Al Hassan’s foot in the 90th minute.

Ronaldo, who had earlier been denied several times by goalkeeper Moris and had a goal ruled out for offside, finally got his moment in added time.

In the 90+6 minute, he connected acrobatically with a floating cross from Boushal, sending a bicycle kick past Moris to seal the victory.

The 40-year-old records his 954th career goal and has now scored ten goals in nine league appearances this season.

The win extends Al Nassr’s push for a ninth straight victory as they continue their strong run in the Saudi Pro League with 27 points. (Punch)

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Ronaldo scores 950th career goal as Al Nassr beat Al-Hazm 2-0

Cristiano Ronaldo has reached a staggering 950 career goals, continuing to add to his legendary tally while leading Al Nassr to the top of the Saudi Pro League.

He scored in the 88th minute after his Portuguese compatriot, Joao Felix’s opener in the 25th minute in the first half, to bag three points for the league leaders on Saturday in the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo’s consistency and impact remain remarkable, proving why he is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

His goals have propelled Al Nassr toward a strong position in the title race, with fans eagerly watching as he nears the 1,000-goal milestone.

PUNCH Online had reported that Ronaldo netted his 949th career goal as Al Nassr cruised to a 5–1 victory over Al Fateh in the Saudi Pro League on October 18.

Al Nassr’s next game is on Tuesday against Al-Ittihad, who are seventh on the log standings. (Punch)

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Ronaldo scores 949th career goal as Al Nassr thrash Al Fateh 5-1

Cristiano Ronaldo continued his astonishing goalscoring form on Saturday, netting his 949th career goal as Al Nassr cruised to a 5–1 victory over Al Fateh in the Saudi Pro League.

The Portuguese scored a stunner in the 60th minute, less than a minute after losing a spot kick.

Joao Felix also bagged another hat-trick as Kingsley Coman scored in the second half to take the table-toppers four points clear on the Saudi Pro League summit.

PUNCH Online had reported that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is on the verge of achieving a milestone no male footballer has ever reached: 1,000 career goals.Al Nassr’s next game is on Wednesday against Goa in the AFC Cup. (Punch)

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Ronaldo is Bloomberg’s first billionaire footballer

Cristiano Ronaldo has become football’s first billionaire player, according to financial information and media firm Bloomberg.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index,, external which tracks the world’s richest people based on their net worth, has measured the 40-year-old Portugal and Al-Nassr striker’s wealth for the first time.

The valuation takes into account career earnings, investments and endorsements and says Ronaldo’s net worth is $1.4bn (£1.04bn).

It says he earned more than $550m (£410m) in salary between 2002 and 2023, and breaks down his reported earnings through deals and sponsorship, including a decade-long deal with Nike worth almost $18m (£13.4m) a year.

When Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in 2022 he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m.

His contract was due to end in June 2025 but he signed a new two-year deal – reportedly worth more than $400m (£298m) – which will keep him at the club beyond his 42nd birthday.

Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, who played against Ronaldo for many years during their time in Spain, has earned more than $600m (£447m) in pre-tax salary during his career, according to Bloomberg.

That includes $20m (£15m) in guaranteed annual pay since 2023, which is about 10% of Ronaldo’s income during the same period.

When he retires, 38-year-old Messi is set to get a stake in Inter Miami. (BBC)

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Joshua eyes Ronaldo signing with new football agency

Anthony Joshua and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn are building a new football agency, with the ambitious goal of attracting top-tier players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The venture, driven by Joshua’s vision and backed by Hearn’s Matchroom Sport, aims to offer a 360-degree service for footballers, covering everything from transfers and sponsorships to lifestyle management and long-term career planning.

 “We’ve been fine-tuning the plans for months,” Hearn told the Daily Mail.

 “AJ went and posted about it on Instagram, and everything went mental, players, clubs, sponsors, media, everyone came to us.”

The agency is targeting elite talent, with Hearn making clear their intention, “I’m not interested in representing a couple of lower league players. I want to enter at the highest level.”

Joshua’s profile, especially in the Middle East, is already opening doors. He has spoken with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo on multiple occasions in Saudi Arabia, as CR7 turns out in that region for Al-Nassr, with it being that standard of player that is being targeted.

Hearn added, “AJ can speak to any player he wants. One of the biggest challenges agencies face when recruiting players is simply getting in front of them. AJ can get in front of any player in the world tomorrow. In fact, players are already speaking to him.

“He’s had discussions. They know what we do. How good Matchroom is, and they know the power AJ has. AJ’s post certainly pricked up a few ears from those big names. A lot of people are interested already.

“Ronaldo didn’t DM me, but let’s just say a few eye emojis popped up. Quite a few high-profile players sent them. They weren’t saying they were signing with us tomorrow, but they were definitely showing interest. There are conversations to be had, for sure.”

There’s no confirmed launch date, but the duo are preparing to disrupt football management just as they have in boxing and darts. (Punch)

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Ronaldo rejects offers to play at Club World Cup

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo says he will not play at this month’s Club World Cup after turning down offers from participating teams.

The 40-year-old is out of contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr at the end of June.

In May, Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved at the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr’s failure to qualify.

“I will not be at the Club World Cup,” said Ronaldo.

“Some teams reached out to me. Some made sense and others did not, but you can’t try and do everything. You can’t catch every ball.”

Ronaldo posted on social media that “the chapter is over” following Al-Nassr’s final league game of the season in May, leading to speculation he was set for a move.

However, sources have told BBC Sport that the club are confident of extending Ronaldo’s deal.

Speaking before Portugal’s Nations League final against Spain on Sunday (20:00 BST), Ronaldo said a decision on his future was “almost final”.

The striker joined Al-Nassr in 2023 after the termination of his deal with Manchester United.

He has scored 99 goals in 111 appearances for the club, including 35 times in 41 matches last term.

Ronaldo scored the winner in a 2-1 victory against Germany on Wednesday to book Portugal’s spot in the Nations League final. (BBC)