Cristiano Ronaldo has overtaken Erling Haaland as the top scorer in 2023 after he scored a brace against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Cristiano Ronaldo showed his impressive form from the Slovakia game, where he scored twice and helped Portugal qualify early for next summer’s European Championship in Germany.
Ronaldo, 38, has showed that he is not ready to slow down after showing his worth at the Dragons at the Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica.
The Al-Nassr forward opened the scoring for his country via a spot kick five minutes into the match and scored the second from Joao Felix’s assist.
The brace saw the Portuguese surpass any player in the 2023 calendar year with an impressive 40 in 43 appearances for both club and country.
However, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player has now added two more goals to his tally taking him to 127 goals.
Despite being at the age of 38 and termed ‘finished’ by most rivals fans, the Portuguese always stands to prove people wrong.
Top Club And Country Scorers In 2023
| Player | Country | Goals |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 40 |
| Erling Haaland | Norway | 39 |
| Kylian Mbappe | France | 35 |
The player has been hailed for his extraordinary feat by several top players including his Portugal teammates recently.
Germany legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has fueled the discourse regarding the football greatest of all time (GOAT) debate involving Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.
When asked who he has conceded more goals against, the goalie emphasized the difference between the two greatest of all times and made his stand.
“Well, both players played really well. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but if I had to go with one, I would choose Cristiano”, Neuer said.
Ronaldo’s teammate Bruno Fernandes also gave high praise to Al-Nassr attacker after their country’s successful qualification for Euro 2024.
In the post match after the game against Slovakia, Fernandes emphasized his national skipper’s significant role and how he contributed to the team’s qualification.
He said, “Do I have the notion that I’m playing alongside a history maker? No, I don’t have a notion, I have the certainty! We’re all aware of it.”
“We all understand the force and impact that Ronaldo has, the force and the impact that Ronaldo has had on the future of many of us Portuguese players, the opportunities that he’s created for the future generations of players, the way others began to look at Portugal.”
“He’s done extraordinary things that will probably never be repeated. We hope they are, for the good of football, but I think it’s unlikely.”
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM is a Portuguese international who was born on 5th February, 1985 and captains both the Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr and the Portugal national team.
CR7 as he is fondly called is well-known worldwide and regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
The Portuguese international so far has won five Ballon d’Or awards and four European Golden Shoes, the most by a European player.
Ronaldo For Portugal
At the age of 18, Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal on the international scene in 2003. With more than 200 caps under his belt, he holds the record for both most caps in history and for the nation, according to Guinness World Records.
He is also the sport’s all-time leading goalscorer with more than 100 goals scored on the international scene.
Eleven major tournaments have seen Ronaldo play and score; he made his debut for his country at the 2004 Euro, where he assisted Portugal in winning the championship.
In July 2008, he became the national team’s captain. The Portuguese Football Federation declared Ronaldo the greatest Portuguese player of all time in 2015.
As the second-highest goal scorer of the tournament, he won the Silver Boot and guided Portugal to their first major tournament victory at Euro 2016.
This achievement would see Cristiano Ronaldo win his fourth Ballon d’Or.
Additionally, he scored the most goals in the 2019 UEFA Nations League final and went on to win the Golden Boot as the top scorer at Euro 2020. He also guided them to victory in the 2019 UEFA Nations League.
