Cristiano Ronaldo uses his 'Siu' celebration after beating Lionel Messi to another impressive accolade

Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten Lionel Messi to a major accolade this week - and brought back his iconic 'Siu' celebration to honour it.

The Al Nassr forward used to perform the celebration after almost every goal for Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United, although has regularly interchanged it while with the Saudi Pro League club.

On the pitch, the 38-year-old has netted 16 goals in 15 Saudi Pro League games this term, and is the league's top scorer ahead of former Fulham star Aleksandar Mitrovic and ex-Tottenham flop Georges-Kevin Nkoudou.

Off the pitch, Ronaldo remains one of the most recognisable athletes on the planet, and his 615 million followers on Instagram is a higher figure than any other person.

This week, Ronaldo has achieved another incredible milestone - becoming the most-searched athlete worldwide in the history of the Google search engine.

When you think that Google was founded in 1998 - five years before Ronaldo signed for Manchester United - it is some achievement.

Posting about the milestone on X (Twitter), Ronaldo commented: "Grateful to be honoured as the most searched athlete in Google history."

He attached a video which saw a number of his fans perform the 'Siu' celebration, ending with his own rendition.

Grateful to be honored as the most searched athlete in @google history. Check out the film at https://t.co/0PjDiMYV3I. 🎯 #YearInSearch pic.twitter.com/uV65FyQ9XE

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) December 17, 2023

Football, meanwhile, is the most-searched sport in the 25-year history of Google.

In 2023, NFL player Damar Hamlin has been the most-searched athlete, after the 25-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest while playing a regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January. By the end of the season, he was able to make a full return to competitive action.

PSG and France's Kylian Mbappe is ranked second, while NFL star Travis Kelce - the current partner of Taylor Swift - is in third.

NBA star Ja Morant is fourth, while Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane rounds out the top five.

Lionel Messi is not in the top five, but his current side Inter Miami are top of the most-searched clubs in the world following the Argentinian's move to the US in the summer.