Cristiano Ronaldo receives major Saudi Pro League honor ahead of Al Nassr’s game vs. Al Kholood
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the face of the Saudi Pro League and Saudi soccer in nearly three years in the Middle East, adding to his legacy as the sport’s all-time leading scorer. Ahead of Al Nassr’s clash with Al Kholood, the Portuguese star was once again honored by the SPL.
Moments before kickoff at Al Awwal Park, Saudi legend Majed Abdullah presented Ronaldo with the 2024-25 Golden Boot award. The 40-year-old topped the scoring charts last season with 25 goals in 30 league appearances.
It marked Ronaldo’s second SPL Golden Boot. His first came in 2023-24—his first full season in Saudi Arabia—when he scored a remarkable 35 goals in 31 matches, finishing well ahead of Al Hilal’s Aleksandar Mitrović, who had 28 goals in 28 games.
Though his production dipped in 2024-25, the veteran forward still outpaced stars like Ivan Toney (23 goals), Karim Benzema (21), and Abderrazak Hamdallah (21). However, Al Nassr’s failure to qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite reflected the impact of his lower output.
Ronaldo recently named Greatest of All Time
Just last week, Ronaldo was also honored in his homeland. At the Liga Portugal Awards, the Al Nassr striker made a surprise appearance to receive the “Best of All Time” trophy.
In a video shared by Liga Portugal, Ronaldo expressed his gratitude: “I’d like to thank Liga Portugal for this award, being named the best player of all time. As you can imagine it is a great honour to win something for my country.”
Ronaldo then paid tribute to those who shaped his career. “First of all I’d like to thank all my teammates who have helped me throughout my career to achieve this amazing trophy as well as all the coaches, everyone who has supported me on this journey of always pushing to improve. Thank you all so much and enjoy, take care,” he concluded.