On Oct. 23 Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated what was recorded as the 982nd goal of his career in Al Nassr’s 3-1 Saudi Pro League win over Al Faisaly, but there is disagreement over whether the strike should be credited to him, according to ESPN. The Portugal captain celebrated a glancing header from João Félix’s 49th-minute free kick that then deflected into the net off Al Faisaly defender Andrei Girotto; Opta ruled it an own goal while the Saudi Pro League credited Ronaldo with the strike.
ESPN reports that, following Ronaldo’s hat trick in a subsequent 5-3 win over Al Kholood, his official career total stands at 985 goals for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr and Portugal — a figure that would be affected only if the Saudi Pro League changes its ruling on the Al Faisaly goal.
ESPN’s refereeing expert Andy Davies, a former Select Group referee with more than 12 seasons on the elite list who has worked across the Premier League and Championship and within the VAR space, offers context on how such decisions are typically made.
According to ESPN’s explanation of the Goal Accreditation Panel process in England, the initial identification of a goal scorer comes from Opta and the Matchday Refereeing Team, who record the scorer in real time. The tendency is to award the goal to the attacker if there is doubt and allow the Goal Accreditation Panel (GAP) to make a final decision. The GAP, a three-person panel that reviews video evidence and official Opta data, applies a core rule: if the original shot was on target and would have gone in, a minor deflection still leaves the goal with the attacker; if the shot was off target and a deflection diverts it in, it is an own goal, according to ESPN.
ESPN notes that clubs can appeal to the Goal Accreditation Appeals Panel, which can change the official scorer. Recent examples cited by ESPN include a Liverpool-Brighton goal on Oct. 25, 2026, ruled an own goal for Florian Wirtz’s strike, and a Sept. 14, 2026, Leeds goal initially given to Jayden Bogle that was reassigned to Dominic Calvert-Lewin after an appeal.
