Cristiano Ronaldo's header for Al Nassr against Al Faisaly is now credited to two different players, depending on who is keeping the record. FIFA's Match Centre lists the goal, which put Al Nassr 2-0 up on the way to a 3-1 win in round 11 of the Saudi Pro League, as an own goal by Al Faisaly defender Andrei Girotto, according to VnExpress and Dân trí. Thanh Niên, citing the Spanish daily MARCA, reported that data providers Opta and Sofascore made the same change. The referee's post-match report, however, names Ronaldo as the scorer, which leaves the 41-year-old on either 981 or 982 goals in his career, depending on the source.
The match was played on the evening of 23 October in Saudi Arabia, the early hours of 24 October in Vietnam, at Al Majma'ah Sports City in Majmaah.
The 49th-minute header
João Félix delivered a free kick, Ronaldo rose to head it and the ball came off Girotto, a Brazilian defender, before going in. VnExpress and Dân trí both note that no camera angle so far shows clearly whether Ronaldo touched the ball, or whether his header was already going towards goal before it hit Girotto.
The two outlets set out the rule: if Ronaldo touched the ball and it was heading for goal, the goal is his; if he did not touch it, or it was not on target, it is an own goal. MARCA, as reported by Thanh Niên, used Opta data to conclude that the ball never touched Ronaldo and struck Girotto instead. The goal was first given to Ronaldo before Opta and Sofascore reviewed it.
Three former Saudi internationals, Sami Al-Jaber, Mohammed Noor and Hussein Abdulghani, also doubted that Ronaldo deserved the goal, VnExpress reported. On the programme Nadina, Al-Jaber said slow-motion footage showed the ball changing direction off Girotto, while Noor compared the incident with Bruno Fernandes' goal at the 2022 World Cup.
Who credits whom
KBVN+ compiled how each record-keeper has logged the goal, based on reporting by Thanh Niên, VnExpress and Dân trí:
| Record-keeper | Goal credited to | Reported by |
|---|---|---|
| FIFA Match Centre | Girotto (own goal) | VnExpress, Dân trí |
| Opta | Girotto (own goal) | Thanh Niên (citing MARCA), Dân trí, VnExpress (citing ESPN) |
| Sofascore | Girotto (own goal) | Thanh Niên, VnExpress, Dân trí |
| FotMob, Flashscore | Girotto (own goal) | VnExpress, Dân trí |
| BBC, ESPN | Girotto (own goal) | VnExpress |
| Referee's post-match report | Ronaldo | VnExpress, Dân trí |
| Match report on the Saudi Pro League website | Ronaldo | VnExpress, Dân trí |
| Saudi Pro League and Al Nassr social media | Ronaldo | Thanh Niên |
According to VnExpress, journalist Ali Al-Enezi confirmed on X that the referee's report lists Ronaldo as the scorer of the second goal. Accounts of the league's own website differ: VnExpress and Dân trí say its match report still carries Ronaldo's name, while Thanh Niên wrote that the site's statistics still show him on 4 goals from 9 matches this season, without a fifth league goal.
981 or 982 on the road to 1,000 goals
For a player counting down to 1,000 goals, one disputed touch matters. Thanh Niên noted that by the Saudi Pro League and Al Nassr count, Ronaldo now has his 982nd career goal and is 18 goals short of 1,000 goals. By the Opta, Sofascore and FIFA count he is still on 981 goals. In the Saudi Pro League scoring race, Al Ahli's Ivan Toney leads with 13 goals, according to Thanh Niên.
Ronaldo posted a brief rallying message with photos of the celebration, Thanh Niên reported. The paper added that, if the goal stands, it would be his first since the Portuguese Football Federation sanctioned him for leaving the national team without permission during the September and early October international window. MARCA, via Thanh Niên, also noted that Ronaldo had another goal ruled out for offside, hit the post and was denied several times by Al Faisaly goalkeeper Pacheco.
Not the first time
Ronaldo's scoring record has been argued over before. KBVN+ looked back at two cases recalled by VnExpress and Dân trí:
- 2022 World Cup: In Portugal's 2-0 win over Uruguay, Ronaldo celebrated a Bruno Fernandes cross, believing he had headed it. The goal was first given to Ronaldo, but FIFA later credited Fernandes after data from a sensor inside the ball showed no contact, VnExpress reported.
- 2010, at Real Madrid: A goal ended up credited to centre-back Pepe rather than Ronaldo. The two outlets name different opponents: Dân trí says it was against Real Sociedad, with Ronaldo's free kick hitting Pepe's back; VnExpress says it was a win over Mallorca, with both Pepe and the club arguing that Ronaldo had touched the ball first.
What comes next
As of the reports on 24 October, none of the three outlets had reported the Saudi Pro League or FIFA changing its record. In the table, the win took Al Nassr to 25 points, level with Al Qadsiah in second place, while Al Hilal moved top on 27 points after beating Al Qadsiah 3-2, Thanh Niên reported.
With the record-keepers one goal apart, how far Ronaldo still has to go to 1,000 depends on which count fans follow. Match details are in our report on Ronaldo's 982nd goal. See also our story on João Félix's winner as Al Nassr beat Neom 1-0.