Cristiano Ronaldo spearheads SPL's Matchweek 16 star performers XI with 9.5/10 rating after 4-goal haul against Al-Wehda

Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has emerged as the highest-rated player in matchweek 16 of the Saudi Pro League after scoring four goals against Al-Wehda.

Cristiano Ronaldo's start to life in Saudi Arabia following his transfer to Al-Nassr perhaps did not go as smoothly as he would have wanted to. He initially had his debut delayed as he had to serve a two-match suspension for smashing an Everton fan's phone in Manchester United colors last year.

The Portuguese icon then struggled to hit the ground running in his first two matches for the Saudi Pro League club. Apart from failing to score, he could not prevent Al-Aalami from crashing out of the Saudi Super Cup as they lost to Al-Ittihad in the semi-finals.

However, Ronaldo opened his account for Al-Nassr by finding the back of the net in their 2-2 draw against Al-Fateh. He converted a last-minute penalty to ensure his side earned a point from the game.

The five-time Ballon d'Or built on his performance against Al-Fateh when Rudi Garcia's side faced Al-Wehda in the league on Friday, February 9. He scored each of his team's four goals in their 4-0 victory over the Mecca-based club.

Al-Nassr's thumping victory over Al-Wehda saw them return to winning ways following their draw against Al-Fateh. The win, powered by Ronaldo, also ensured that they retained their place at the top of the Saudi Pro League table.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo has come out as the best performer in the league in matchweek 16. He is the highest-rated player in the Saudi Pro League's Best XI for the recently-concluded set of games.

With an Opta rating of 9.5, the 38-year-old forward leads the charts by some distance. He is followed by Al-Ittihad frontman Abderrazak Hamdallah, who grabbed a brace in his team's 5-0 win against Al-Adalah.

Cristiano Ronaldo is accompanied by Al-Shabab central midfielder and captain Ever Banega on the list. The two notably played against each other during their time in La Liga as the Argentinian played for Valencia and Sevilla.

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Is Cristiano Ronaldo in the race to win the Saudi Pro League top scorer award?

Cristiano Ronaldo will be determined to lead Al-Nassr to Saudi Pro League glory this season. However, he will also likely have one eye on bagging prestigious accolades in his first campaign in the Middle East.

Although he is some way off, the forward put himself in contention to win the top scorer award in the league with his four-goal haul against Al-Wehda. With five goals to his name, he is joint-seventh in the race. Al-Nassr teammate Talisca tops the chart with 13 goals.