Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest goal for Al Nassr has sparked a debate over whether it should be officially credited to him or recorded as an own goal, creating uncertainty over his career tally as he approaches the 1,000-goal milestone.
Al Nassr defeated Al Faisaly 3-1 on Friday, with the disputed goal coming in the 49th minute. Joao Felix’s free-kick travelled through the area between Ronaldo and Al Faisaly defender Andre Girotto before finding the net.
Ronaldo immediately celebrated with his trademark ‘Siu’ celebration, but video replays did not conclusively establish whether the ball made contact with him.
Conflicting Goal Records
Four major football data platforms — Opta, SofaScore, FotMob and FlashScore — credited the goal to Girotto as an own goal. Under those records, Ronaldo’s career tally stands at 981 goals.
However, the Saudi Pro League’s official record and the referee’s report credit the goal to Ronaldo, taking his tally to 982.
Ronaldo later scored again in the 52nd minute, but that effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
The conflicting records have added another layer of intrigue to Ronaldo’s pursuit of the 1,000-goal career milestone.