“I’ll say when it’s finished” - Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after finishing 2023 as world’s top scorer with 54 goals

Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo put up a cryptic post on Instagram after finishing the 2023 calendar year with the most goals out of any player in world football.

He captioned the post:

"54 – I’ll say when it’s finished! Thanks, team!"

Al-Nassr ended 2023 on a positive note with a 4-1 win away at Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday (30 December). The hosts scored first and took the lead in the 13th minute before Marcelo Brozovic's 26th-minute equalizer.

Aymeric Laporte (35') and Otavio (50') scored to hand Al-Nassr a dominant lead before Ronaldo got on the scoresheet in stoppage time. Al-Nassr find themselves second in the Saudi Pro League after 19 games with 46 points — seven behind leaders Al-Hilal.

Ronaldo has played a key role for them this season, scoring 24 goals and setting up 11 more in 25 games across competitions. With 54 goals in 59 games across competitions, the 38-year-old has finished as 2023's top scorer.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner beat the likes of Harry Kane (52 in 57 games), Kylian Mbappe (52 in 53 games), and Erling Haaland (50 in 60 games). His arch-rival Lionel Messi, meanwhile, managed 28 goals in 44 games this year.

---

Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to being left out of 2023 top 10 players list

The 38-year-old was snubbed by IFFHS.

Cristiano Ronaldo replied with a comment on an Instagram post detailing the top 10 players of 2023, as named by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). He reacted with laughing emojis on a post that listed the top 10, hinting that he doesn't agree with the list.

IFFHS ranked Erling Haaland as the No. 1 player, with the second spot going to Kylian Mbappe. Lionel Messi, who swapped Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for Inter Miami this summer, was placed third.

The full list:

1. Erling Haaland
2. Kylian Mbappe
3. Lionel Messi
4. Jude Bellingham
5. Rodri
6. Kevin de Bruyne
7. Harry Kane
8. Bernardo Silva
9. Vinicius Junior
10. Lautaro Martinez

Portuguese outlet A Bola posted the list of the top 10, with the caption:

"Cristiano Ronaldo reacted to our post about the IFFHS rankings of the best players of 2023. The captain of the national team felt like laughing when he saw the elected ones. Do you think the Portuguese deserved to be on the list?"

Apart from his exploits with Al-Nassr, Ronaldo was also impressive with the Portugal national team. They completed a perfect run through their Euros qualification group, winning 10 out of 10 games. The superstar featured in nine of those matches, scoring 10 goals and bagging two assists.