Last season, a thrilling battle for the Roshn Saudi League golden boot unfolded between Cristiano Ronaldo and Aleksandar Mitrovic, with the Portuguese megastar eventually winning out thanks to a record-breaking 35 goals.
The two combatants from either side of the fierce Riyadh divide are at it again this season, but this year they have company in the form of Karim Benzema and perhaps even a host of other rivals. In Benzema’s case, the French striker looks rejuvenated at RSL frontrunners Al Ittihad since manager Laurent Blanc came in.
While those three lead the way, there is a chasing pack behind that also cannot be ruled out as they all bid to be crowned the RSL’s top scorer for the 2024-25 season.
Here we look at the principal contenders for one of the key individual awards of the top-flight campaign.
Aleksandar Mitrovic - Al Hilal (12 goals)
The Serbian star has been a goalscoring machine since stepping foot in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal in the summer of last year. As the Riyadh giants stormed their way to the 2023-24 RSL title in an undefeated season, they did so largely on the back of the goals from the former Fulham striker.
While Mitrovic missed a chunk of games through injury at the tail end, that maybe cost him a real shot at a first golden boot, he still managed 28 goals from 28 appearances.
You’d think scoring at a rate of a goal every game seems unsustainable; not really so for the 30-year-old, who has 12 goals in 13 matches this season, including four braces in his opening six games.
For a player with his scoring record, Mitrovic went into the winter break on something of a mini goal drought, failing to score in three of his past five games, including his two most recent.
Surely to come back refreshed after the mid-season hiatus, that will most likely spell trouble for the teams Al Hilal, the reigning RSL champions and second in the table at present, face after the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Al Nassr (10 goals)
Age is obviously no barrier for the Portuguese superstar, who will turn 40 in February and yet is still leading the way for his Al Nassr side.
It was always going to be tough to back up last season’s record-setting haul, but with 10 goals from 12 appearances he is just about keeping pace with that clip this time around.
In only three games this season has the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward failed to find the back of the net, while in all competitions, including the AFC Champions League Elite, Ronaldo struck six times in his last four games heading into the winter break.
It continues a remarkable scoring run since debuting for Al Nassr in January last year, in which the club captain has banged in 59 goals in 59 RSL games. And, worryingly for opposition defences as Al Nassr seek to improve of their current position of fourth place, Ronaldo is showing no signs of slowing down.
Karim Benzema - Al Ittihad (10 goals)
The French international would be the first to admit his debut campaign in the RSL was an underwhelming one. With the Jeddah giants looking to defend their title from the previous season, they suffered a sorry time with managers Nuno Espirito Santo and Marcelo Gallardo, ultimately finishing fifth. In fact, they were a whopping 42 points off top spot.
While Ronaldo and Mitrovic led the way with 35 and 28 goals respectively, Benzema failed to break into double figures, managing only nine. He was some way behind teammate Abderrazak Hamdallah, who scored 19.
This season, however, the former Ballon d’Or winner looks a completely different player. Clearly stung by last term’s experience, there’s a hunger and determination about Benzema that is making him one of the most dangerous strikers in the league.
After failing to score in the opening game, the 37-year-old has been scoring for fun, with 10 in his next nine appearances, including a hat-trick in the thumping, 7-1 win against Al Wehda in the “Old Derby” in Matchweek 3.
With Al Ittihad leading the way at the break, two points clear at the summit, the scene is set for captain and chief contributor Benzema to fire his side to the top-flight trophy.
The Chasing Pack
While Mitrovic, Ronaldo and Benzema appear to be involved in a three-way shootout for individual honours, you can’t rule out any of the chasing pack from potentially stealing the crown of RSL top scorer for 2024-25.
After an impressive debut season in the Kingdom in which he netted 15 goals, Damac’s Georges-Kevin N’Koudou continues to impress for the mid-table outfit. The Cameroon international, who typically starts out wide for his side, already has eight goals this term, scoring four in his past five games before the break.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Al Salem is enjoying a late-career purple patch, and with seven goals is the leading Saudi Arabian scorer so far this season. The journeyman striker, who has played at Al Khaleej, Al Ettifaq, Al Fayha and Al Nassr, is back at his boyhood club, Al Khaleej, and has found a home for himself at the tip of the attack under manager Georgios Donis.
A run of six goals in three games catapulted Al Salem up the golden boot standings and helped Al Khaleej momentarily break into the top six. Can he keep the form going when the league resumes next month?
Elsewhere, and back at Al Ittihad, Houssem Aouar also has seven goals, while Al Qadsiah have a pair of potent frontmen in Julian Quinones (seven goals) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (six). It’s a major reason why the Al Khobar sit third in their first season back in the RSL in three years.
With the competition to restart on January 9, the trio of Mitrovic, Ronaldo and Benzema seems set to duke it out for the award the Al Nassr captain lifted last season. Yet could it go to someone outside that threesome?
What is for sure is that there are superstars aplenty to ultimately reign supreme.
The top 10 leading scorers in 2024-25 RSL
