If anyone is going to be annoyed by this, its Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo will be seething to know that one of his many records has been taken away and barring a major change, it’s unlikely he will ever reclaim it.
Ronaldo has achieved a lot in his professional career, winning every individual and team award there is to win.
One of those is being the top scorer in a knockout stage of a European competition, scoring 10 times in the 2016/17 campaign. He actually held that role alongside Karim Benzema, who equalled his tally in 2022 and Radamel Falaco from his Porto days in 2011.
But all of those will be forgotten now as a new outright winner was crowned on Wednesday night. Olympiacos’ Ayoub El Kaabi struck home a 116th minute winner in the Conference League final against Fiorentina in Athens as they became the first Greek side to win a major European trophy.
The winner was his 11th of the competition, making him the outright leader for goals in a single European campaign.
Ronaldo unlikely to break record again
The news of losing one of his records will no doubt wind Ronaldo up. After all, this is the same guy that would probably have a fight in a phone box with himself.
However even he may concede defeat on this one, with the 39-year-old stating that a return to Europe would be unlikely now that he is in Saudi Arabia.
At the time of his arrival he said: “I’m 100% sure I won’t return to any European club. I’m 38-years-old. European football has lost a lot of quality. The only valid one and still doing good is the (English) Premier League. They’re way ahead of all the other league.”
He is still setting new benchmarks however and became the record goalscorer in a single Saudi Pro League season after scoring 34th and 35th goals of the season against Al Ittihad.
It wasn’t enough to secure the title though as Al Hilal instead claimed the crown.
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