Cristiano Ronaldo ranked only 3rd in list of Saudi Pro League’s top-performing players despite sparkling Al-Nassr form
Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo has been ranked only third on a list of the top performers in the Saudi Pro League despite his stunning run of form.
This is as per a list compiled by Sofascore (via SPORTbible), which ranks Al Fateh midfielder Mourad Batna in the top spot with a 8.11 average match rating for his seven goals and seven assists this term.
The Moroccan is closely followed by Al Ittihad's Igor Coronado, who is in second place with an average rating of 8.09 for his nine goal contributions.
Despite bagging 16 goals in 17 appearances for Al-Nassr this season, Cristiano Ronaldo is in third place with an average rating of 8.07. His tally is more than Batna and Coronado's put together and the Portuguese also has seven assists to his name.
In fourth place is Ronaldo's former Real Madrid teammate and current Al Ittihad striker Karim Benzema, who has an average rating of 8.03 for his nine goals in the SPL. Al Hilal's Salem Al-Dawsari completes the top five with a rating of 8.02.
Other notable players in the rankings are Riyad Mahrez (ninth, 7.71 rating), N'Golo Kante (16th, 7.54 rating), Aleksandar Mitrovic (20th, 7.46 rating), Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane (both 24th, 7.41 rating). Meanwhile, Brazilian superstar Neymar is not even in the top 50 after an injury-riddled start to life in the SPL.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first high-profile player to make the move to the SPL by joining Al-Nassr in January this year. His move set the tone for the league's aspirations of roping in world class talent, with the likes of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes (as per SPORTbible) and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah linked with potential moves in the future (as per GOAL).
It remains to be seen how quickly the league can develop and grow when fully backed by the government.
Cristiano Ronaldo's stats in 2023
Despite being 38 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo is still racking up the numbers for club and country as he contrinues to bang in the goals. He has bagged 45 goals and 12 assists in 49 games for Al-Nassr and Portugal so far this year.
With plenty of games still left to play in this calendar year, the superstar forward could possibly cross 50 goals with ease.