Ronaldo, the rabbit in the EPL, is the tiger in the SPL

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"The rabbit is king in the tiger's goal." It's a proverb that comes to mind. In his new home, the Saudi Professional League (SPL), Cristiano Ronaldo (39, Al-Nasr) is flying high. The SPL is the "paradise of the East" and the "golden city" for Cristiano Ronaldo.

It's like watching a solo dance. He sweeps through the SPL and sells. It's like watching a solo dance.

He's on the move, racking up records. Most of them are extensions of the records he set in his prime. It's a flurry of movements and steps, and we don't know how much to value them. It's a record streak that leaves a bittersweet aftertaste.

Of course, the record itself should be appreciated. Even for those of us who are old enough to be called "grandfathers" in soccer terms, it's an eye-catching parade of records. The goal explosion is astonishing. It's worth noting and reflecting on the stage he's performing at.

At the end of 2022, when he left the EPL for the SPL, Ronaldo was clearly on a downward spiral. He was on a downward spiral that was easy to read. In the first half of the 2022-2023 season with Manchester United, Ronaldo had scored just one goal in 10 games. 

 His goal-scoring prowess, which had produced 18 goals in 30 games in the 2021-2022 season, seemed to have 'disappeared' and he was in a deep slump.

Ronaldo may have been one of the best goal scorers of this century, but in the face of the EPL, the world's premier soccer league, a league dominated by the "iron law" of weakness and survival of the fittest, he was a helpless figure. Ronaldo had been reduced to the image of an aging tiger who could no longer survive in the jungles of the EPL.

In the end, Ronaldo, unable to get rid of his burdens, went in search of a new "El Dorado": the SPL, which was still on the "fringes of soccer." With no one to control him, the SPL seemed like a promising new world for Ronaldo, who still had a knack for goals.

In his new home, the SPL, but without the tigers, Ronaldo is thriving. He eased into the league with ease, scoring 14 goals in 16 games in 2022-2023, and then burst onto the scene in 2023-2024. In 24 games, he's scored 29 goals (as of 4 days ago - local date below). That's an average of 1.21 goals per game, a frightening goal explosion from a veteran winger who seems to have forgotten his age. He leads the way with 22 goals, far ahead of Aleksandar Mitrovic (29-Alhilal SFC), who is second (22).

In the last two SPL games, Ronaldo has exploded onto the scene. He scored back-to-back hat tricks at home against Altay (5-1 on March 30) and away against Abkhazia (8-0 on April 2). Against Abkhazia, he was a terror to watch, scoring three goals in just 46 minutes of action.

Tearing up the SPL and extending his 21st century hat-trick tally

Naturally, Ronaldo's stride is accompanied by records. Especially when it comes to goals, he's been breaking one record after another in the SPL. A new record is a new record, and most of the time, he seems to be improving on his own records. That"s why it"s hard not to feel stale.

Recently, Ronaldo added another record to his collection. He scored the most hat tricks of the 21st century. As expected, he added to his own record. With his last two hat tricks, he"s taken two steps forward and is now comfortably in the lead.

Ronaldo broke into the professional first division in the 2002-2003 season with Sporting CP in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. In 23 seasons of consistent play, he has scored 65 hat tricks (three or more goals). It's a "storming run" that has pushed his fellow "Man of the Match" Lionel Messi (36-Inter Miami CF) into second place (57), far behind his contemporaries (see table).

Ronaldo has scored three hat tricks this season alone. By comparison, Messi, who plays in the United States Major League Soccer (UMLS), hasn't taken a single step forward this season.

If we break down Ronaldo's hat trick trail by competition, it consists of 44 domestic league games, two domestic cup competitions, nine international club competitions, and 10 national team games (A matches). In terms of goals, he has scored 3 goals 54 times, 4 goals 9 times, and 5 goals twice.

Ronaldo is almost guaranteed to be the SPL's top scorer this season. And with his current form, he's likely to continue to rack up goals of all kinds. It's hard to get rid of the bitter feeling of being a rabbit chasing a goal without a tiger, but it seems like the SPL is a place where he can roam freely.

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