In Riyadh, Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest goal has become a question of attribution rather than celebration. Al-Nassr won 3-1 away to Al-Faisaly on Friday, but the second-half strike credited to the Portuguese forward is being counted differently across football’s record books.
The decisive moment arrived four minutes after the interval. João Félix sent a cross into the area and Ronaldo moved to meet it, with the ball then diverted by Brazilian defender Andrei Girotto.
Television images have left uncertainty over whether Ronaldo made contact before Girotto’s intervention. That detail has created a split over the official scorer.
Quick facts
- Al-Nassr beat Al-Faisaly 3-1 on Friday.
- The disputed goal came in the 49th minute.
- João Félix supplied the cross for the move.
- Saudi Pro League and Al-Nassr list Cristiano Ronaldo as scorer.
- Opta records the incident as an Andrei Girotto own goal.
- The decision matters in Ronaldo’s pursuit of 1,000 official career goals.
Saudi Pro League records and Al-Nassr’s own account have assigned the goal to Ronaldo. Opta, however, has logged it as an own goal by Girotto, and several other statistical platforms have followed that interpretation.
The disagreement carries unusual weight because Ronaldo is closing in on one of football’s most prominent personal landmarks. If the strike remains in his column, it represents the 982nd official goal of his career.
For now, the league has not revised its listing. Until that changes, Ronaldo’s total stands with the Al-Faisaly goal included, even as the footage continues to invite debate over the final touch.
