Did Ronaldo claim an own goal? Controversy erupts over his 982nd goal

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated what he believed was the 982nd goal of his illustrious career during Al Nassr's 3-1 victory over Al Faisaly on Friday. But did he actually score?

The goal has sparked a controversy, with four major football statistics platforms disagreeing with the Saudi Pro League over who should get the credit.

While the Saudi Pro League has officially credited Ronaldo with the goal, Opta, SofaScore, FotMob and Flashscore have recorded the effort as an own goal by Al Faisaly defender Andrei Girotto.

And the available video replays have only added to the confusion.

Did Ronaldo actually touch the ball?

The controversial moment came in the 49th minute when Joao Félix delivered a free kick into the penalty area.

Ronaldo jumped to meet the delivery, and the ball ended up in the net after striking Girotto.

However, a closer look at the replays raises an interesting question. Did Ronaldo actually make contact with the ball?

From the available angles, it is difficult to say for certain whether the Portuguese superstar got a touch before the ball struck Girotto and went into the net.

What is certain is that Ronaldo had absolutely no doubts.

The 41 year old immediately ran towards the corner and performed his trademark 'Siu' celebration, confidently claiming the goal as his own.

He later shared a photograph of his celebration on Instagram with the caption, "Let's go!"

Four football platforms disagree with Saudi Pro League

Interestingly, it is not just Opta disputing Ronaldo's goal.

Popular football statistics platforms SofaScore, FotMob and Flashscore have also attributed the effort to Girotto as an own goal.

ESPN reported that its statistics provider, Opta, had classified the incident as an own goal, which would leave Ronaldo on 981 career goals according to its records.

However, the Saudi Pro League has taken a completely different position.

Its official match records credit Ronaldo with the goal, and the league even published its highlights with the title "Ronaldo gets GOAL 982 as Al Nassr triumph".

According to Saudi journalist Ali Al Anzi, the referee's official match report also credited the Portuguese superstar with the goal.

Ronaldo almost scores again

Interestingly, Ronaldo nearly added another goal just three minutes later.

The Al Nassr captain found the net again in the 52nd minute, but the effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

Had it stood, Ronaldo would have moved to 983 career goals according to the Saudi Pro League's tally.

So, does Ronaldo's 982nd goal count?

As things stand, yes, according to the Saudi Pro League.

But there is an important distinction when it comes to awarding goals.

If an attacking player's effort is already heading towards goal before a defender deflects it into the net, the goal is generally credited to the attacker.

However, if the original effort is heading wide and the defender redirects it into the net, it is usually classified as an own goal.

In Ronaldo's case, the available footage does not conclusively establish whether he made contact with the ball before it struck Girotto.

For now, the Saudi Pro League continues to recognise the goal as Ronaldo's 982nd, leaving him just 18 short of the historic 1,000 goal milestone.

However, according to Opta's classification, Ronaldo remains on 981 and needs another 19 goals.

And judging by the confidence with which Ronaldo celebrated, there was certainly no doubt in his mind about who deserved the credit.