Ronaldo faces early uphill battle in Roshn Saudi League Golden Boot race

Cristiano Ronaldo has fallen seven goals behind early leader Ivan Toney in this season’s Roshn Saudi League Golden Boot race, leaving the Al Nassr forward facing a familiar challenge.

Ronaldo has scored only three times in the opening seven rounds, while Toney has made a prolific start to the campaign with 10 goals. NEOM striker Alexandre Lacazette is among the Portugal captain’s nearest challengers, although Toney has established a clear advantage at this early stage.

The standings are particularly significant because Toney was one of the players who finished above Ronaldo in last season’s scoring rankings. Ronaldo ended the campaign in third place with 28 goals, behind Golden Boot winner Julian Quinones on 33 and Toney on 32.

Toney again stands in Ronaldo’s way

Toney is therefore not an unfamiliar rival for Ronaldo. Having beaten him in last season’s race, the English striker has opened the new campaign at an even faster rate, scoring 10 times in the early rounds and forcing Ronaldo to begin his pursuit from a considerable distance.

There is still ample time for Ronaldo to close the gap. The season remains in its opening stages, while his previous records show he is capable of producing a substantial goal tally. The size of Toney’s lead, however, means every further goal scored by the Al Ahli forward would make the chase more difficult as the campaign progresses.

Ronaldo also has to contend with the attacking options available to Al Nassr. Joao Felix, Sadio Mane and Angelo give the team several routes to goal, strengthening its attacking resources but also meaning that chances and goals are not necessarily concentrated around Ronaldo.

For now, the statistics give Toney the upper hand and raise the prospect of Ronaldo experiencing a repeat of last season’s outcome. The Portuguese forward may simply be making a temporary slow start in a long competition, but after seven rounds he is already required to make up significant ground.

Ronaldo’s previous scoring record means it would be premature to judge the final outcome at this point. Yet the early numbers underline the scale of the task: Toney leads with 10 goals, Ronaldo has three, and the same opponent who finished ahead of him last season has once again made the strongest opening.