Cristiano Ronaldo set to compete with former teaammate and ex-Premier League star as finalists for 2025 Globe Soccer Awards 

Cristiano Ronaldo is in contention for the Best Middle East Player at the 2025 Globe Soccer Awards along with former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema and former Premier League star Riyad Mahrez.

The 2025 Globe Soccer Awards, which is the 16th edition of the star-studded event, will be held on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at the five-star Atlantis The Royal hotel on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

It features around 15 award categories, of which nine are open to a worldwide public vote, including the Best Middle East Player award.

Since joining Al-Nassr in 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo has taken the Saudi Pro League by storm, consistently demonstrating his goal-scoring prowess. While he has yet to win a major trophy with Al-Nassr, the Portuguese superstar has arguably been a force to be reckoned with in the Middle East.

The 40-year-old was the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League in each of the last two seasons. He scored 35 goals in the 2023-24 campaign—the most goals by a player in a Saudi Pro League season. Last season, he notched up 25 goals to claim the Golden Boot for a second consecutive time.

Al-Nassr have been riding high on form this season, having won all nine of their league matches. Ronaldo, along with Joao Felix, has scored the huge chunk of the goals for the Knights of Najd in the league, with the pair sitting in second and first, respectively, in the scoring chart.

Cristiano Ronaldo will go up against Salem Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad), Roberto Firmino (Al-Ahli/Al-Sadd), N’Golo Kanté (Al-Ittihad), Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli), and Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli) for the Best Middle East Player award.

Interestingly, Ronaldo is the current holder of the award, having won it in 2024. He is also the only player to have won the individual accolade as it was debuted in 2023, which he won.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide