Saudi Pro League43 min ago2 minute read

Debate Surrounds Ronaldo Goal Total After Contested Al Faisaly Strike

Cristiano Ronaldo sits on 985 career goals, but questions remain over whether his strike against Al Faisaly was actually an own goal.

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The Contested 982nd Goal

Cristiano Ronaldo is pushing towards a total of 1,000 career goals, but his 982nd strike is drawing debate. The 41 year old was credited with the goal during Al Nassr's 3-1 win over Al Faisaly on Oct. 23.

The strike came in the 49th minute from a João Félix free kick. Ronaldo celebrated what seemed to be a glancing header to double the lead. However, it was unclear if he made a significant touch to the ball with his head before it deflected into the net off Al Faisaly defender Andrei Girotto. Opta adjudged it to be an own goal, but the Saudi Pro League decided to credit Ronaldo with the score.

Ronaldo added to his numbers shortly after with a hat trick in Thursday's 5-3 win over Al Kholood. His official career total now stands at 985 goals for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr and Portugal, unless the league chooses to alter its ruling.

Referee View on the Deflection

Former referee Andy Davies gave his thoughts on the incident. Davies spent over 12 seasons on the elite list across the Premier League and Championship, including work with VAR. He explained that in situations like this, attackers always try to convince officials to award them the goal, while defenders work just as hard to avoid having an own goal against their name.

Davies explained that while any touch by Ronaldo was on target, it was negligible. The significant deflection off Girotto was what caused the ball to pass the goalkeeper. Davies said that awarding Ronaldo the strike stretched the process to the extreme, adding that he was surprised the Saudi Pro League reached that decision.

What it means for the next game

Al Hazem vs Al Nassr (Saudi Pro League, Fri, 06 Nov): Al Hazem win 14%, draw 19%, Al Nassr win 67%; expected goals 1.00 to 2.35. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.

Al Nassr will look to carry their strong scoring form into the upcoming fixture. With Ronaldo continuing his chase for four digits, bettors and supporters will watch closely to see if the Portuguese star adds cleanly to his record.