The Saudi Pro League Golden Boot race has taken an unexpected turn after the league reclassified a goal each for Cristiano Ronaldo and Ivan Toney as own goals. The change leaves both strikers with one fewer goal in the official standings, even though the match statistics still credit them.
Ronaldo’s case dates back to Al Nassr’s 3-1 win at Al Faisaly in matchweek 11. The Portuguese appeared to head home the second goal in the 49th minute from a Joao Felix free kick, and he celebrated it as the fifth goal of the season and the 982nd of his career.
Replays, though, suggested the ball may have come off the head of defender Andrei Girotto, and the league ultimately recorded it as an own goal by the opponent instead of crediting him with a header.
Toney’s situation is almost identical. The England striker headed Al Ahli into the lead in the 11th minute of their 4-1 win over Al Khaleej, a goal that was reviewed by VAR for several minutes over a possible offside interference from a teammate and contact with defender Mohammed Khabrani before referee Abdullah Al-Shahri confirmed it.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s statistics according to the Saudi Pro League official website.
Now the league has taken the goal away from him as well, recording it as an own goal and dropping his tally to 12 despite his stoppage-time penalty in the same match.
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Saudi Pro League’s own numbers contradict each other
The reclassification has created an unusual contradiction within the league’s own data. While the standings now reflect the goals as own goals, the official match statistics still credit both of them to Ronaldo and Toney, leaving the two sets of records pointing in opposite directions.
Al Nassr’s match sheet against Al Faisaly, according to the Saudi Pro League’s official website.
The adjustment does little to change the top of the Golden Boot race. Toney remains comfortably in front with 12 goals, five clear of Mateo Retegui and Youssef En-Nesyri, who have seven each, while Ronaldo, on four, now sits well down the list.
Statistics sites such as Transfermarkt still credit the goals to Ronaldo and Toney, but the Saudi Pro League’s official website does not, leaving the two strikers with one fewer goal in the records that matter most for the Golden Boot race. Unless the league reverses its decision, the official figures will be the ones that count as the season goes on.
