I Don’t Care about Individual Records Anymore, Ronaldo Says

Football - Asian Champions League - Group B – Al-Nassr v Al-Rayyan - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - September 30, 2024 Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
Football - Asian Champions League - Group B – Al-Nassr v Al-Rayyan - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - September 30, 2024 Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
TT

I Don’t Care about Individual Records Anymore, Ronaldo Says

Football - Asian Champions League - Group B – Al-Nassr v Al-Rayyan - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - September 30, 2024 Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
Football - Asian Champions League - Group B – Al-Nassr v Al-Rayyan - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - September 30, 2024 Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)

Cristiano Ronaldo insists he is focused on being the perfect team member at Saudi side Al-Nassr rather than collecting more individual accolades in the twilight of his career.

The 39-year-old, who has won the Ballon d'Or award five times, scored in Al-Nassr's 2-1 win over Al-Rayyan of Qatar in their AFC Champions League Group B match on Monday.

It was the club's fourth successive victory in all competitions under new coach Stefano Pioli, who replaced Luis Castro last month.

"It was a strong and difficult match like all the matches in the AFC Champions League, but the most important thing is that we created many chances and defended well to prevent the opponent from creating easy chances," Ronaldo told a press conference.

"It is not important anymore whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that. It is good for a player to score goals, but for me it is better for the team to win.

"I am used to breaking records and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al-Nassr and my teammates to win."

Ronaldo became the top scorer in a single season in the Saudi Pro League last May with 35 goals.

The Portugal captain also scored his 901st career goal in a 2-1 win over Scotland in the Nations League last month.

"My goal against Al-Rayyan was different and important because my father would have been happy with it if he was alive, as today (yesterday) is his birthday," the former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United forward added.



AC Milan, Inter Ultras Arrested for Alleged Organized Crime Offences

AC Milan's ultras fans celebrate during a Serie A match against Lecce at the San Siro stadium on September 27, 2024. Gabriel BOUYS / AFP
AC Milan's ultras fans celebrate during a Serie A match against Lecce at the San Siro stadium on September 27, 2024. Gabriel BOUYS / AFP
TT

AC Milan, Inter Ultras Arrested for Alleged Organized Crime Offences

AC Milan's ultras fans celebrate during a Serie A match against Lecce at the San Siro stadium on September 27, 2024. Gabriel BOUYS / AFP
AC Milan's ultras fans celebrate during a Serie A match against Lecce at the San Siro stadium on September 27, 2024. Gabriel BOUYS / AFP

Hardcore supporters of AC Milan and Inter Milan were arrested on Monday for alleged organized crime offenses, Italian police said.
In a statement, Italy's finance police said that leading figures among the "ultras" of two of the country's most important football clubs had been arrested for "criminal conspiracy aggravated by mafia methods, extortion, assault and other serious crimes".
"The suspects are almost all members of the Milan teams' ultras groups while the crimes relate to revenues made around football," added the finance police.
A police source told AFP that 19 people had been arrested in total, including the two heads of the Inter and Milan ultras, Luca Lucci and Renato Bossetti.
Monday's arrests come a few weeks after the reputed heir of a powerful crime family was killed by one of Bossetti's predecessors.
Andrea Beretta, who himself has a long criminal record, stabbed to death Antonio Bellocco during an altercation outside a boxing gym in a Milan suburb early his month.
Bellocco's death was a shock because of his reportedly high status within the 'Ndrangheta mafia, which led to Beretta's family being placed under special surveillance by the police over fears of violent reprisals.
It also highlighted suspicions that mafia mobs were infiltrating ultra groups, attracted by the earnings some supporters' organizations allegedly earn through illicit activities ranging from ticket touting to drug dealing.
Beretta took a leading role in the Curva Nord section of the San Siro after career criminal Vittorio Boiocchi was shot dead outside his home in October 2022.
Italian media widely reported at the time of his murder aged 69 that Boiocchi had bragged in wiretapped conversations about earning 80,000 euros ($88,000) a month through his position as ultra leader.