Cristiano Ronaldo’s time with Al Nassr could be drawing to a close amid another frustrating Saudi Pro League campaign.
Ronaldo, who arrived at the club in late 2022 after leaving Manchester United, has consistently found the back of the net in the Middle East, netting 91 goals across 103 outings for Al Nassr, yet his time there has not yielded any major trophies.
Despite having well-known players such as Jhon Duran and Sadio Mane, Al Nassr has struggled to mount a serious title campaign, even with Ronaldo’s impressive goal-scoring. Their hopes of capturing Saudi glory were virtually dashed after a 3-2 loss to Al Ittihad, where they squandered a 2-0 lead. After the match, MARCA reported that Ronaldo’s reaction was not received well by the club’s officials.
The all-time great reportedly left Al Nassr’s stadium without changing his kit.
Al Nassr’s recent struggles also led to their elimination from the Asian Champions League, as they were knocked out by Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale in the semifinals. The team’s current position as fourth in the Saudi Pro League leaves their qualification for next year’s AFC competition in doubt.
As a result, Ronaldo is believed to be reconsidering his future in Riyadh, having previously been keen to extend his stay by another two years. He’s desperate to add to his trophy haul before calling it a career, but only has one piece of silverware – the 2023 Arab Champions Cup – to show for his time in Saudi Arabia.
If the 40-year-old, who aims to play at the 2026 World Cup with Portugal, decides to move on, speculation will be rife regarding his next club. A return to Sporting CP may well be on the table, with his former club potentially viewing Ronaldo as a stop-gap option to replace Viktor Gyokeres, who looks likely to depart the Lisbon side this summer.
