Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo named SPL player of the month for December 2023
Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo added another feather to his cap, as he won the Saudi Pro League player of the month award for December.
Ronaldo, 38, is widely regarded as the best player to have graced the beautiful game and is still going strong. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been on a tear in his first full season in the Saudi top flight.
In 18 games in the league, Ronaldo has notched up league-leading tallies of 20 goals and nine assists. That includes five goals and two assists in five games in December, with the Portugal captain scoring in each outing except for the 3-0 defeat at Al-Hilal at the start of the month.
Unsurprisingly, he won the Saudi Pro League's player of the month award for December. The SPL tweeted (as translated from Arabic):
"League top scorer, most goals scored, Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in December for rounds (16, 17, 18, 19) and wins the Roshnksa"
Thanks to their captain leading from the front, Al-Nassr only trail runaway leaders Al-Hilal (53) by seven points after 19 games.
Such has been Ronaldo's dominance in the SPL this term that apart from the Al-Hilal game, the Portuguese didn't provide a goal contribution in only two other outings: a 2-0 defeat at Al-Taawoun in August and a 2-2 draw at Abha in October.
"I'll say when it's finished" - Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo on ending 2023 as the top goalscorer
Cristiano Ronaldo rolled back the years with a fabulous goal-filled year for club and country.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner ended 2023 with 54 goals for club and country in 59 games across competitions, two more than any other player. Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and PSG hitman Kylian Mbappe finished with 52 strikes apiece, two clear of Manchester City attacker Erling Haaland.
In a thinly veiled dig at critics who had labelled him as finished, Ronaldo posted the number 54 and shared that he's far from 'finished' as he thanked his teammates:
"54 – I’ll say when it’s finished! Thanks, team!"
Ronaldo's goal tally for the year includes 44 strikes in 50 games for Al-Nassr and 10 in nine outings for Portugal in their successful UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. He's now set to appear in a record-extending sixth European Championship in the summer in Germany, two more than any other player.