Cristiano Ronaldo just took a massive leap over Karim Benzema in his quest to become the Saudi Pro League's top goalscorer for a second consecutive season.
Al-Nassr might be stuck in third place of the Saudi Pro League, but Ronaldo is still finding the back of the net in almost every match. In fact, the Portugal captain has only failed to score in one of his last eight appearances for Al-Nassr.
Most recently, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner sealed his side's 3–1 victory over Al Fatech with a goal in the 87th minute. Ronaldo has bagged 14 domestic goals this season, extending his lead atop the Saudi Pro League's scoring charts.
The 39-year-old is now two goals ahead of his former Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema, as well as Al Hilal's Aleksandar Mitrović. Both Benzema and Mitrović have 12 goals to their names in the 2024–25 season.
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With the chances of silverware looking slim for Al-Nassr, who trail Al Hilal by eight points and Al-Ittihad by nine points, Ronaldo still has a shot to take home the consolation prize of the Saudi Pro League's top scorer for the second year in a row.
Last season, Ronaldo scored 35 goals in the Saudi Pro League, seven more than Mitrović. Al-Nassr only managed a second-place league finish, though, while Al Hilal lifted the title for a record 19th time.
History could repeat itself yet again, but this time, Al-Ittihad are in the title fight thanks to Benzema's top form. Just like in the Real Madrid history books, the Frenchman is once again chasing Ronaldo for the most goals.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, is chasing something much bigger than just the Saudi Pro League's Golden Boot. The Real Madrid legend has scored 920 goals throughout his career for both club and country and could become the first player in soccer history to score 1,000 goals.
With 17 more games left to play in the Saudi Pro League this season and the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals swiftly approaching, Ronaldo has all the opportunity to get closer to both his individual goals.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cristiano Ronaldo Takes Commanding Lead Over Karim Benzema in Saudi Scoring Quest.
