Cristiano Ronaldo has been praised by Al-Nassr manager Luis Castro for his exceptional play since the start of the season.

Since the beginning of the year, the Portuguese star—whose difficult 2022 resulted in his early departure from Manchester United—has been in extraordinary form, scaling even higher heights during the current campaign.

The 38-year-old, who seems to get better with age like a good wine, has scored an astounding 16 goals in 17 games across all competitions, according to Transfermarkt.

Ronaldo has scored an incredible 45 goals in 2023, which puts him two goals ahead of PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, two behind Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, and three behind prolific Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

Although Ronaldo has always been a skilled goal scorer, manager Luis Castro has been caught off guard by his unwavering determination to succeed even after a legendary career in Europe.

“Sometimes it surprises me that he is 38 years old and will soon turn 39 in a couple of months. But his dedication and passion for this game have not waned a bit. He still has the same passion and dedication as when he was young,” he said 

The 62-year-old coach continued by praising Ronaldo’s inner drive and emphasizing how, at 38, it sets him apart from the typical football player.

Castro acknowledged the incredible accomplishments of Ronaldo as he nears the end of his illustrious career and boasted about the bizarre statistics of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Coach Al Nassr discusses the GOAT debate.

Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible goal against Al-Khaleej last weekend, Luis Castro has surprisingly confirmed the player’s status as the greatest, according to a previous Sports Brief report.

After Rudi Garcia left Al-Nassr in July, Castro took over. He praised Ronaldo for his “fantastic” goal and said that he made everything look easy.

“He trains hard every day, always remains motivated, and stays focused on his game. This is the outcome you are witnessing in every match.”

“Show me another 38-year-old guy who can score 50 goals in a year, apart from Cristiano. There is no one else. What he is doing is incredible.”