Cristiano Ronaldo misery as Messi beats record and Al-Nassr lose title

Cristiano Ronaldo raised eyebrows by choosing Al-Nassr as his next destination upon leaving Manchester United last year. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is by far the biggest name to ever play in Saudi Arabia, and while the goals have been flowing since his arrival, this weekend saw him dealt a triple dose of miserable news.

Jubilant scenes unfolded at Old Trafford when the second coming of Ronaldo was confirmed in 2021. He found the net with regularity during his first season back in the Premier League, but an interview calling out manager Erik ten Hag last November saw his contract terminated.

As top European clubs distanced themselves from what would have been a blockbuster signing, Ronaldo eventually plumped for a left-field option, penning a bumper £173million-per-year contract at Al-Nassr to become the highest-paid footballer of all time.

A respectable haul of 14 goals in 18 games since is nothing to be scoffed at, but this weekend was surely one of the worst in the 38-year-old’s recent memory. Here, Express Sport takes you through three reasons why…

Al-Nassr lose title

Many expected the Riyadh-based outfit to stroll to the Saudi Pro League title when they splashed out on a mega-money contract for Ronaldo. In the Portuguese and Talisca, Al-Nassr have two of the most talented players in the division, but their title bid officially fell apart on Saturday evening.

By drawing 1-1 with domestic strugglers Ettifaq, Ronaldo and co left themselves five points behind Al-Ittihad – led by Nuno Espirito Santo – with one game to spare. Having topped the table earlier this season, Al-Nassr are now out of contention and without a permanent manager after sacking Rudi Garcia last month. Ronaldo’s frustration boiled over after the final whistle, when he was seen kicking a water bottle in frustration.

Supporter left snoring

Although Al-Nassr should have been motivated by prolonging the title race until the final day of the season, their performance against Ettifaq proved underwhelming for some, with one supporter caught on camera dozing off in the final minutes of the game.

Ronaldo’s individual performance didn’t give fans much to get excited about as he failed to score and came off clutching his groin with 10 minutes to play. A far cry, then, from the veteran’s glory days with Real Madrid.