While one would have thought that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are unbeatable or beating them would be a task, the numbers have a different story to tell. UAE striker Ali Mabkhout has a better number when it comes to being the international scorer. The UAE striker has surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by scoring 16 goals in 13 matches. FIFA released their list of ‘2019 in Numbers’ which showed the striker edging out the two football stalwarts of the generation. Al Jazira forward is now the leading scorer of UAE. UAE 'Two Good' for Gutsy India. 

Mabkhout has scored a couple of more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo who had made 14 goals. The Juventus star has claimed the third spot on the list. Qatar’s Almoez Ali sits on number two of the list scoring 15 goals from 20 games. Tottenham Hotspurs Harry Kane is fifth on the list with 12 goals his kitty. Uzbekistan's Eldor Shomurodov occupies the fourth spot on the list scoring 13 goals from 14 matches. Lionel Messi does not feature in the top 10 names. You can check the entire list of players below:

2019 in numbers (Photo Credits: FIFA)

Talking about Mabkhout, he started off the past year on a very positive note. Having scored four goals during the Asian Cup in January, Mabkhout had scored six goals in the opening games of the FIFA 2020 World Cup Qualifiers. During the game against Indonesia, the striker netted a hat-trick. He netted goals on yet another five occasions that helped him top the charts despite the fact that UAE made an early exit from the tournament.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2020 04:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).