"Hopefully more" - Ivan Toney talks up goalscoring rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo who he wants 'to beat' not 'idolize'
Ivan Toney is adamant he intends on focusing on himself and his own goalscoring exploits but is hoping to outscore Cristiano Ronaldo this season. The England international arrived in the Saudi Pro League in the summer.
Toney, 28, joined Al-Ahli from Brentford in a reported £40 million deal. He's made a fine start to life at King Abdullah Sports City with four goals and two assists in 10 games across competitions.
The English striker is set to faced Ronaldo earlier this season as Al-Ahli drew 1-1 with Al-Nassr. He faces the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema tomorrow (October 31). Al-Ahli clash with Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.
Toney was asked whether he has any ambitions of beating club football's all-time top scorer in the goalscoring charts. He said of Ronaldo (via talkSPORT):
"Hopefully more (score more). Hopefully more but to be fair, I'm competing with myself basically, really. I don't watch what other people are doing. Obviously we know Ronaldo is a top player but I'll concentrate on myself and do what I can do best."
Toney touched on his encounter with Benzema tomorrow and made clear he's not interested in being awestruck by such star names:
"It's all good coming up against these players, but we're not here to idolise them, we're here to beat them."
Toney is one of many high-profile names who have left Europe for Saudi since Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr. The five-time UEFA Champions League winner has been in prolific form, bagging 67 goals and 18 assists in 76 games for Al-Alami. The 28-year-old was linked with several European giants while at Brentford including Ronaldo's former team Manchester United.
How does the SPL Golden Boot race look between Ivan Toney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema?
Toney may be eyeing beating Ronaldo in the goalscoring charts but he trails the Al-Nassr captain. The former Brentford forward sits on three goals in six games while the ex-United star has hit six goals in seven games.
Neither lead the way though as former Fulham man Aleksandar Mitrovic sits top. He's posted a remarkable 10 goals in eight games for Al-Hilal who sit top of the Saudi Pro League table.
Benzema is above Toney and Ronaldo in second, having managed eight goals in as many games. The iconic Frenchman struggled to adapt initially at Al-Ittihad but has started rolling back the years with impressive performances.