Ronaldo's 982nd Goal Ruled an Own Goal by FIFA

FIFA contradicts the Saudi Pro League: the goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday evening in Al-Nassr’s 3-1 victory away at Al-Faisaly in the 11th round of the Saudi championship is not his. On its official website, the international body attributes the goal to Argentine defender Andrei Girotto, a former Nantes player, who scored an own goal. CR7 therefore remains at 981 goals in his career according to FIFA’s official ranking.

The disputed sequence went largely unnoticed at the time. Ronaldo celebrated the goal with his usual enthusiasm — a backflip and “siuuu” included — after what looked like a header. But the footage reveals it is difficult to establish with certainty that the Portuguese player actually touched the ball. The Saudi Pro League, however, had no doubts: it officially credited the goal to its star striker, even highlighting it on its communication channels.

Major statistical platforms reached a different verdict. Opta, Flashscore and SofaScore all recorded an own goal by Girotto, in line with video analysis of the action. The divergence between the Saudi championship and the reference bodies quickly fuelled social media, where many observers denounced a manipulation of figures in favour of Ronaldo’s race to 1,000 career goals.

The stakes are far from trivial. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner aims to surpass Pelé’s legendary total by reaching a thousand career goals. Every goal counted — or not — therefore takes on particular significance, and this controversy illustrates the tensions between the marketing narrative built around Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League and the rigour of independent statistical bodies and organisations.