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Recently, the controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's career total goal count has continued to escalate, with Ronaldo himself personally commenting on a fan account's social media post to clarify his stance.
Earlier, several media outlets suggested that the 6 goals Ronaldo scored in the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup should not be included in his career total because the tournament was not officially recognized by FIFA, leading to two conflicting claims about his career goals: 961 and 967, which sparked widespread discussion among fans and media.
Recently, Ronaldo fan account @cr7historical posted a clarification: "Many people have asked me about the Arab Club Champions Cup—the tournament Ronaldo played for Al-Nassr in 2023.
"Everyone is debating whether this tournament is considered an official competition, and many have been misled by media platforms like TNT Sports and ESPN, or journalists like Fabrizio Romano.
"But the truth is, FIFA has recognized the championship title of this tournament as an official honor from the very beginning. The championship and goals Ronaldo achieved in this tournament will all be included in his official career statistics—not a single goal will be removed from his 967 career goals. This claim is completely absurd!
"I want to remind everyone: make sure to seek out the facts and don't believe everything you see online—not all information is true. Some reports are nothing but false articles fabricated by lazy journalists and team fans.
“🔁 Repost this content to let more people see the truth!”
Ronaldo himself commented on this post: "Acceptance is a virtue ❤️🙏👍🏽", personally responding to the controversy.
Clarification from Ronaldo's Fan Account
Please refer to a direct article published on FIFA's official website:
"Consistently scoring efficiently in domestic leagues and European competitions, Ronaldo has exceeded 50 goals in a single season five times. When he left the Spanish capital Madrid, he became Real Madrid's all-time top scorer with 450 goals in 438 appearances and won 15 championship trophies with the team.
“Ronaldo then played for Juventus for three years, leading the team to five championships, before returning to Manchester United for an 18-month loan spell. Since January 2023, he has played for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, helping the Riyadh giants win the Arab Club Champions Cup in August of the same year.”
In another report, FIFA once again mentioned this tournament:
“Riyadh's Dominant King”
After a short return to Manchester United, Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in 2022. In the final of the Arab Club Champions Cup against Al-Hilal, he scored both of his team's goals in extra time. To date, he has played 95 matches and scored 87 goals.
In FIFA's 2023 football year review, the organization certified Ronaldo as the player with the most goals in official matches that year:
“Cristiano Ronaldo was the player with the most goals at club level worldwide in 2023: 54 goals in 59 appearances. He was followed by Kylian Mbappé (52 goals in 53 appearances), Harry Kane (52 goals in 57 appearances), and Erling Haaland (50 goals in 60 appearances).”
In 2023, Ronaldo scored a total of 54 goals, 6 of which came from the Arab Club Champions Cup. This clearly shows that FIFA itself has officially included his goals in this tournament in his official career match goal count.
It is absurd that such an established fact still needs repeated explanations. But this incident also confirms that the malicious smears targeting Ronaldo have reached an unscrupulous level.
FIFA has publicly stated on more than one occasion that it officially recognizes the championship status of the Arab Club Champions Cup. Even so, some media and journalists continue to spread false claims that “Ronaldo never won an official championship during his time at Al-Nassr.”
Do not believe fake news!
