In round 17 of the Saudi Pro League (SPL), Al Nassr faced Al Ittihad. This is a reunion between Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema – two players who have been together for nearly 10 years in the Real Madrid shirt. Before the match, Ronaldo and Benzema gave each other a warm hug and had a short conversation right in the tunnel of Prince Abdullah al Faisal Stadium.

However, at the end of the 90 minutes, only Ronaldo was the one enjoying the joy when Al Nassr won convincingly with a score of 5-2. CR7 contributed two goals, both scored on penalties. Meanwhile, Benzema only left one assist for his teammates to score.

With two goals against Al Ittihad, the Portuguese international reached the milestone of 53 goals in 2023, surpassing the achievements of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe (both 52 goals). Because Kane and Mbappe have both finished their playing schedules in the 2023 calendar year, Ronaldo will likely win the title of top scorer of the year.

For the first time since 2017, Ronaldo reached the 50 goal mark in a year. Previously, the Portuguese captain reached this milestone for 7 consecutive years, from 2011 to 2017. His best achievement was 69 goals in 2013 for Real Madrid and the team.

Winning all 3 points, Al Nassr firmly consolidated second place in the SPL table with 43 points after 18 matches, 7 points behind top-ranked team Al Hilal. Meanwhile, Benzema’s Al Ittihad ranked 6th with 28 points.