Chelsea star beats Cristiano Ronaldo to become most-searched athlete of 2023 in Portugal: Reports

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has overshadowed Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to become the most-searched athlete of 2023 in Portugal, according to a report by Portuguese news outlet, Maisfutebol.

Google recently announced that Ronaldo was the most-searched athlete on its search engine globally over the last 25 years. This came as no surprise to most fans due to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's significant online presence. He is currently the most-followed Instagram celebrity with over 614 million followers.

In addition, the Portugal ace is arguably one of the greatest footballers of all time, alongside Lionel Messi. The 38-year-old has won 35 major trophies in his storied career and is still going strong for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

However, according to the aforementioned report based on Google's data, Enzo Fernandez beat Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of searches in 2023. The main reason could reportedly be due to the Argentine's move from Benfica to Chelsea in January for a reported transfer fee of £106.8 million.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has struggled to make much of an impact at Stamford Bridge so far, netting three goals and providing three assists in 40 appearances across all competitions.

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How did Cristiano Ronaldo fare during Al-Nassr's 5-2 win against Al-Shabab?

Al-Nassr secured a commanding 5-2 win against Al-Shabab in the King Cup of Champions quarter-finals away from home to book their spot in the semi-finals on Monday, December 11. Let's take a look at how Cristiano Ronaldo fared during the game.

Seko Fofana, Sadio Mane, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mohammed Maran scored one goal apiece for the Knights of Najd, while Carlos Junior and Hattan Bahebri scored for the hosts.

Ronaldo was given the highest rating of any player on the pitch (8.7 as per FotMob). The Portugal megastar completed 29 out of his 33 passes with an accuracy of 88%. He also created one big chance, scored a goal, and had six shots, with four being on target. In addition, he also made five recoveries and won four ground duels.

The Al-Nassr No. 7 has been in stellar form this season, scoring 20 goals and providing 10 assists in 22 appearances in total. His goal against Al-Shabab was also his 50th strike of 2023, the joint-highest in world football in this calendar year, alongside Erling Haaland.