The Portuguese forward has been a huge commercial hit in the Middle East, but he's no longer making a decisive impact in the biggest games
Cristiano Ronaldo's first full season at Al-Nassr is now over, and he will be holding his head up high after plundering 44 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions. Thirty-five of those came in the Saudi Pro League as he set a new competition record while becoming the first man to win a Golden Boot in four different countries.
"I don’t follow the records, the records follow me," Ronaldo wrote on social media after beating Abderrazak Hamdallah's previous mark of 34 goals in a single season. It's remarkable that the 39-year-old is still finding the net at such a prolific rate, and no one will be surprised if he breaks more records in an Al-Nassr shirt next term.
But it appears that Ronaldo has lost his winning touch. He arrived at Al-Nassr on a free transfer in January 2023 after an acrimonious end to his second stint at Manchester United, and despite his scoring exploits, his new club have had no tangible success to celebrate in the 16 months since his glitzy unveiling.
There was a time when Ronaldo's presence gave his team an edge in the most important matches, but those days are long gone. He's evolved into little more than a stat-padder, and although the five-time Ballon d'Or winner isn't really damaging his overall legacy in the Middle East, he's certainly not enhancing it either.
Getty ImagesAl-Hilal are top dogs
Al-Nassr's 2023-24 campaign ended in heart-breaking fashion as they suffered a penalty shootout defeat to arch-rivals Al-Hilal in the Kings Cup final. It was a chaotic showpiece event that saw three players sent off, including former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, and there was very little to separate the two teams on the night.
But other than hitting the post with an overhead kick from an offside position and converting his spot-kick in the shootout, Ronaldo had no meaningful impact on proceedings. He collapsed to his knees in tears at the final whistle, which was an understandable emotional reaction given the fact he has played a total of 4,969 minutes for club and country this season – more than any of the other 25 Portugal players who have been called up for Euro 2024 by head coach Roberto Martinez.
It was, however, Al-Nassr's third loss to Al-Hilal of the campaign, who beat Ronaldo and Co. 3-0 at home on their way to lifting the league title and knocked them out of the Saudi Super Cup in the semi-finals.
A theory for Al-Hilal's dominance has been floated by popular Saudi journalist Mohamed Al Skiekh, which doesn't reflect well on Ronaldo. “It is not luck, but there is strong work in Al-Hilal and a successful strategy from its management," he said on . "All of this combines with the love of all elements for the club. Within Al-Hilal, there is no player who considers himself the only star.”
AdvertisementGetty/GOAL'Ronaldo decides everything'
Al-Nassr couldn't find any salvation in the AFC Champions League either, as they suffered a quarter-final exit at the hands of Al Ain. Hernan Crespo's side edged the first leg 1-0 in the United Arab Emirates, but the result probably would have been different had Ronaldo not squandered two gilt-edge chances from close-range – the kind he'd have gobbled up easily in his prime.
He did make amends briefly in the second leg by scoring a last-gasp penalty in extra-time to give Al-Nassr a 4-3 win and force a shootout, but Al Ain eventually came out on top, and would go on to win Asia's most prestigious club trophy.
The European version of the Champions League was Ronaldo's playground, as the former Real Madrid man won the competition five times while scoring a record 140 goals. He was the ultimate difference-maker, but also knew what it meant to be a team player, especially towards the end of his time at Santiago Bernabeu as he became more of a poacher.
Ronaldo's predatory instincts are still reasonably sharp, but current Al-Nassr boss Luis Castro makes sure everything is geared towards the veteran striker, which has caused an imbalance. "Al Nassr's real problem is that Ronaldo is the one leading the team, not Mr. Castro," former Tottenham and Egypt star Mido said on the channel in March. "Ronaldo decides everything in the team. I respect the tradition and Al-Nassr fans, and the team must be bigger than any one player. Mr Castro is too weak."
GettyFighting off Father Time
Off the pitch, Ronaldo remains one of the most influential figures in football, and his CR7 brand is still going strong. To his credit, the Sporting CP academy graduate has also fully immersed himself into a new culture, and is seen as the face of the Saudi Pro League revolution.
A host of other top Europe-based players have followed Ronaldo to the Middle East, including Neymar, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane, and more blockbuster deals are likely to be on the cards in the summer transfer window. But Ronaldo hasn't set a shining example with his conduct on the pitch.
Opposing fans have consistently taunted Ronaldo with chants for his eternal rival Lionel Messi, and the Al-Nassr star has been unable to control his temper. His most recent outburst came after a 3-2 win over Al-Shabab in February, as he made an obscene fist-pumping gesture in the direction of the home fans, which led to him being hit with a one-game ban and a hefty fine.
Ronaldo has also let himself down with his general in-game discipline, often lambasting referees when things are not going his way. He even received a red card in Al-Nassr's Super Cup loss to Al-Hilal for throwing an elbow at Ali Al-Bulaihi, which felt like a new low for one of the game's all-time greats.
These shameless acts of petulance were far less frequent when Ronaldo was at his peak. Now, with every poor first touch, missed chance and wayward pass, it's clear to see the frustration bubbling just under the surface in Ronaldo's body language as he desperately tries to fight off Father Time.
Getty Gradual decline
The start of Ronaldo's decline can be traced back to his homecoming at Old Trafford in August 2021. United re-signed the Portuguese from Juventus for £20m ($25m), after finishing second in the Premier League the previous season, and he scored twice on his second debut against Newcastle to spark talk of a potential title tilt.
The honeymoon period didn't last long, however, as United fell out of the top four and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was given his marching orders. Ronaldo finished 2021-22 with a respectable haul of 24 goals in all competitions, but the Red Devils ended up empty-handed and posted their worst Premier League points tally of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
It didn't take a genius to work out that United took a huge step backwards as a collective by trying so hard to accommodate Ronaldo, which Erik ten Hag immediately sought to address after succeeding Solskjaer. And when it became clear he would have to accept a bench role, Ronaldo went to war with Ten Hag in a bid to manufacture an escape route, eventually departing the club in November 2022.
Solskjaer has since admitted that bringing Ronaldo back "turned out wrong", as he abandoned the high-intensity formula that had helped United start competing with the best teams on domestic and European fronts once again. "Without him [pressing], we had to change a little bit the different roles we'd gotten used to," the Norwegian told the podcast, brought to you by . "We were one of the highest pressing teams before [Ronaldo joined]."
Al-Nassr haven't got worse since signing Ronaldo, but they won't catch Al-Hilal next term if they continue to pander to him in the same way United did.