Cristiano Ronaldo wins 2023 Globe Soccer's Maradona award after finishing as 2023's Best Goalscorer
Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo has added another feather to his cap, as the 38-year-old won the 2023 Globe Soccer Maradona Award for the Best Goalscorer.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner turned back the years with a sublime year for club and country, top-scoring with 54 goals in 59 games across competitions. That includes 44 goals in 50 games for Al-Alami and 10 in nine outings for Portugal in their successful UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Ronaldo finished two goals clear of the pair of Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and PSG hitman Kylian Mbappe, two of five players who ended the year with 50 goals. The other player to do so was Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who netted exactly 50 times for City and Norway in 2023.
Nevertheless, Ronaldo piped all the younger contenders to the coveted honour, receiving the award at a glittering award ceremony in Dubai on Friday (January 19). Globe Soccer Awards tweeted:
"Congratulations to CRISTIANO RONALDO on winning the 2023 Globe Soccer's MARADONA AWARD for Best Goalscorer"
The Al-Nassr striker is currently enjoying a midseason break ahead of a set of four friendlies before the season resumes next month.
Cristiano Ronaldo picks contender for this season's UEFA Champions League
It's been nearly two years since Cristiano Ronaldo graced the UEFA Champions League, but the competition's all-time top scorer (140 goals) is apparently following the action, albeit from afar.
The 38-year-old recently named three teams that could win European club football's blue riband competition. He picked reigning continental treble winners Manchester City to go back-to-back while cheekily adding that he doesn't want them to.
“I think Manchester City has a great chance of winning the Champions League again this season," he said (as per Sport Bible). "I hope not (they don’t win), but I think they have a chance.”
Ronaldo is a five-time winner of the competition, winning it four times for Real Madrid, who are also among the contenders for this season.