Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr in January 2023 following his departure from Manchester United. In the two season’s he’s been at the club, Al-Nassr have failed to win the Saudi Pro League and were eliminated at the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League earlier this week.
There is no doubt that the 39-year-olds move to Saudi Arabia caused great controversy, but since his arrival several other top names in world football have made the switch.
The Saudi Pro League is now the home to several top talents such as Neymar, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, largely due to the financial pull that the league now has.
However, can Ronaldo’s time at Al-Nassr be deemed a success or a failure?
Personal note for Ronaldo
The Portuguese forward is regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, and he has shown his quality during his time in Saudi after he has found the back of the 49 times in 57 appearances in all competitions for Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo has been particularly impressive in the league with a whopping 47 goal contributions in 37 games, which has provided great enjoyment to the Al-Nassr faithful.
Al-Nassr’s success since Ronaldo’s arrival
Despite Ronaldo’s great individual success so far in Saudi, he has failed to guide his side to any major silverware, with the Arab Club Champions Cup win last August being his only trophy during this period.
Al-Hilal are on track to win the league this term as they are yet to lose a game and are 12 points clear of Ronaldo’s side. While in the AFC Champions League, Ronaldo missed a glorious chance as Al-Nassr lost to Al-Ain on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Al-Nassr failing to win a major trophy with Ronaldo in their side is a testament to the other clubs in the league, because although they have the best player in the league within their ranks, the actual squad for the rest of outfits is evidently more balanced.
Has Ronaldo been a flop at Al-Nassr?
Despite the lack of success in terms of trophies for Ronaldo during his tenure at Al-Nassr, we believe that he has transformed the club and added a world-class factor on the pitch that they have never seen before.
However, bringing in a calibre of player such as Ronaldo, the Al-Nassr faithful would have thought that this would have supplied instant silverware, so the fact that he has failed to accomplish this, means that he could somewhat be regarded as a flop.
What do you think? Comment below!
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