Cristiano Ronaldo makes headlines anywhere he finds himself thanks to the cult following he has built over the course of his remarkable career having won enormous titles and broken many records.
The headlines have followed him to Saudi Arabia where he plies his trade with Al Nassr.
While the Portuguese maestro has started brilliantly in the Arabian Gulf, one player who is making more headway is Nigeria forward Odion Ighalo.
The 33-year-old has been on the books of Al Hilal since January 2022 and has been nothing but phenomenal, scoring 42 goals in 50 competitive appearances. The most recent of them came in Tuesday night’s 2-0 Saudi Pro League victory over Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in which Ighalo scored a brace.
One would have expected Ronaldo to dominate with the goals, but it was Ighalo who did just that with his two perfectly-taken penalties, which extended his tally atop the goalscorers’ chart in the Saudi Arabian top-flight to 18 goals.
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50 Matches and 42 Goals with #AlHilal ???? pic.twitter.com/t8n03Uifx6— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) April 19, 2023
Ronaldo did not score but he made headlines for the wrong reasons after he hauled down Al Hilal’s Gustavo Cuellar in a headlock, a stunt usually seen in the popular American wrestling competition, WWE.
He was only given a yellow card for his action. He was also seen leaving the pitch after the final whistle in frustration without exchanging pleasantries with any personnel on the pitch and drew controversy as he approached the tunnel grabbing his crotch while some fans chanted Lionel Messi’s name.
It is believed he did so in response to the Messi chants but Al Nassr have clarified he had discomfort in his groin after the challenge with Cuellar. It has raised questions about the atmosphere in Al Nassr dressing room following the departure of head coach Rudi Garica in less than a year since he was appointed, with reports of a broken relationship with Ronaldo.
Things seem not to be going well for Ronaldo at the moment and it seems to be getting the better of him. This has been the trend since his days at Juventus, followed by his second Manchester United stint which ended in acrimonious circumstances and saw his contract terminated.
Al Nassr are not in top form at the moment with two wins in their last five games (D1 L2) and such could only be infuriating to Ronaldo, which would have a negative impact on his performances on the pitch.
None of this is the case for Ighalo, who asides from leading the hunt for the Golden Boot this term, is also in blistering form in the AFC Champions League where Al Hilal are defending champions and preparing to face Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds in the two-legged final on April 29 and May 6.
The Blue Waves look poised to retain the title in a competition they have dominated with four record titles, with Ighalo netting seven times in this season’s edition.
Things are going well obviously going well for Ighalo at the moment and it looks to get better. This is not to assert that Ighalo is better than Ronaldo but for where their careers are at the moment, the Nigerian is ahead.
Ighalo is four years younger than Ronaldo, and his career seems to get better as he ages like fine wine while for Ronaldo, even though still prolific evidenced by his 11 goals in as many Saudi Pro League games for Al Nassr, his attitude of late makes him like a rollercoaster that goes up and down.
Ronaldo’s attitude has been a problem for much of his career and seems to be getting the better of him at a time when he should be more relaxed.
However, Ighalo has never had such a problem at any of his previous clubs, with nothing but fond memories at Watford where he led them to Premier League promotion and survival to his short loan stint at Manchester United where he became a fan favourite and was loved for his likeable character, humility and work ethic.
This is how the Blue Eagle @ighalojude celebrated his goal ⚽️#AlHilal ????#AlHilal_AlNassr pic.twitter.com/ejX76gbM5M
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) April 18, 2023
Ighalo is also like the main course of a buffet which is where the most satisfaction is, while Ronaldo is more like a fancy dessert due to his big profile but does not meet the satisfaction because of factors like his attitude.
The 38-year-old Portugal captain is no doubt a highly-competitive athlete, but the more his antics get the better of him, the more he risks ending his highly-celebrated career on a sour note.
For Ighalo, if he keeps playing for the foreseeable future, he will engrave his name into the hearts of fans wherever he finds himself while registering more goals and winning more accolades and silverware.
That is a mark of superiority that constantly deserves to make the headlines.
