Can Cristiano Ronaldo secure another Golden Boot award despite his team's struggles in Saudi Arabia?
Although Cristiano Ronaldo has the best goals-per-game record in the Saudi Pro League, it seems likely that he will finish the 2022/23 season without winning any team trophies.
Since joining Al Nassr, his team has lost in the semi-finals of both the King Cup and the Saudi Super Cup.
Now, Ronaldo's only chance of winning domestic silverware is through the Saudi Pro League. However, Al Nassr currently sits three points behind league leaders Al-Ittihad, who also have a game in hand and a better head-to-head record.
With only one loss in their first 24 league matches, Al-Ittihad is widely expected to maintain their position at the top of the table, leaving Ronaldo and Al Nassr to chase after the Golden Boot award.
And what about the Golden Boot race?
Throughout his illustrious club career, Cristiano Ronaldo has won Golden Boots in the Premier League (2007/08), La Liga (2010/11, 2013/14 & 2014/15), and Serie A (2020/21).
Despite joining Al Nassr halfway through the season, many believed that the 38-year-old Ronaldo had a good chance of becoming the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League as well.
Currently, Ronaldo has scored 12 goals in his first 12 matches in the Saudi Pro League, making him the only player in the league with an average of one goal per game.
However, if Cristiano Ronaldo aims to win the Golden Boot, he needs to increase his scoring rate even further.
Abderrazak Hamdallah of Al-Ittihad and Odion Ighalo of Al-Hilal are currently leading the race with 18 goals each.
The only other player with more goals than Ronaldo this season is his Al Nassr teammate Talisca, who has scored 16 goals.
With only five matches left in the season, Ronaldo has a lot of ground to cover in order to surpass Hamdallah and Ighalo.
Nonetheless, Ronaldo is not to be underestimated, as he is capable of scoring goals in quick succession. He has already netted two hat-tricks in the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo's next match will be on Monday, May 8, when Al Nassr takes on relegation candidates Al-Khaleej. Later in May, Al Nassr will also face Al-Ta'ee, Al-Shabab, Ettifaq, and Al Fateh.
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