Whose Goal Was It — Ronaldo's or an Own Goal? Debate over the 982nd Goal after Al Nassr's Win
A debate has erupted over a Cristiano Ronaldo goal after Al Nassr's 3-1 win over Al Faisaly in the Saudi Pro League. League authorities have credited the goal to the Portuguese star, but Opta, the statistics provider, has recorded it as an own goal.
The incident happened in the 49th minute of Friday's match. Ronaldo tried to head in a free kick from Joao Felix. There is doubt over whether the ball clearly touched his head. In the end it struck Al Faisaly defender Andrei Girotto and found the net.
After the goal, Ronaldo broke into his familiar 'Siu' celebration. There was no hint of doubt in his celebration; as soon as the ball hit the net, he treated the goal as his own.
By the Saudi Pro League's count, this is the 982nd goal of Ronaldo's career. That means he needs just 18 more goals to reach the historic milestone of one thousand goals in his professional career.
But with Opta recording the goal as an own goal, questions have been raised over that count. If the two records differ, it could also affect the calculation of when Ronaldo reaches the milestone.
Ronaldo is chasing one thousand goals. At this stage every goal matters to him, and he certainly would not want a dispute over a goal's recognition at such a time. Yet the on-field incident has created exactly that debate.
After the match, Ronaldo posted a photo of his goal celebration on Instagram. In the caption he wrote, 'Let's keep going.' Despite the debate over credit for the goal, his message was one of determination to move forward.
The match's story was not limited to that goal, however. Abdullah Al Hamdan gave Al Nassr an early lead. Ronaldo's disputed goal early in the second half doubled the advantage to 2-0.
Theo Bongonda later pulled one back for Al Faisaly. Towards the end of the match, Angelo Gabriel scored to seal Al Nassr's 3-1 victory.
With this win, Al Nassr remain firmly in the Saudi Pro League title race. The Riyadh club sit second in the table with 25 points. Al Qadsiah, also on 25 points, are third, while Al Hilal lead with 27 points.
Overall, the win was important for Al Nassr, but one question has stayed at the centre of discussion — in whose name will the 49th-minute goal finally remain? The mismatch between the league's records and Opta's will keep the debate alive.
Ronaldo's target now is singular — to score more goals, rise above the debate and move towards the one-thousand-goal milestone. The coming matches will show how quickly he can advance that count.
