Al Nassr’s Disappointment: How CR7’s Brilliance Was Let Down

After the World Cup 2022, we witnessed one of the transfers that changed the course of global football. Al-Nassr signed Cristiano Ronaldo from being a clubless player to Saudi Arabia.

Technically, he was not part of Manchester United at the time. He was getting paid up to 200 million pounds annually, which was really good for Saudi Arabia as a PR move that opened the way for many more. Benzema, Neymar, Kante, Firmino, Mahrez, and others went on to move to the Saudi Pro League. But in terms of the club, it did not go well. In his three years, Ronaldo scored 99 goals — 14 in the AFC Championship and 74 in the Saudi Pro League. In terms of trophies, he only won the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023.

In the title race, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr fell 5 points short in the 2022–2023 season, where Al Ittihad won the title. In the next season, they again fell short by 14 points — this time, Al Hilal lifted the title. In his final season, Al Nassr fell 13 points short, finishing in 3rd position. This year, he announced his Saudi Arabia chapter had ended, confirming his departure from Al Nassr. But we often wonder why he failed to secure a title or any major trophy. T

his chapter was the worst one so far. He only won one trophy in 3 years. Many believe it’s the end of Cristiano, as he is already 40 years old. But if we look at Ronaldo, he is consistently scoring. Last season, he scored 50 goals, which proved he was still very much in the game. But where did things go wrong?

Defensive Weaknesses: We witnessed defensive fumbles from Al Nassr whenever they were in a crucial face-off. In the title race this year, Bento had 10 clean sheets — more than Rajković (Al Ittihad’s goalkeeper) — but in big stages like the Saudi Super Cup final, despite leading 1-0 in the 2nd half, they conceded 4 goals in just 17 minutes.

Mental Fragility in Big Games: Another point is mental fragility. In big face-offs or title deciders, they showed a lack of composure and failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities. That increased pressure on Al Nassr against big teams.

Pressure and Expectations: As Al Nassr had Ronaldo, fan expectations increased. Having one of the greatest players of all time on the team created pressure and led to criticism. Being captain and Ronaldo, it all fell on CR7. That’s why the team often collapsed when up against Al Hilal or Al Ittihad.

Over-Reliance on Ronaldo: As mentioned, everything revolved around Ronaldo. He was over-criticized after losses in big games. In the Saudi Super Cup final, it was evident that the team went down with Ronaldo. If he performed well, Al Nassr rose. 

Over the tenure of 3 seasons, defensive leaks and over-reliance raised questions. Additionally, it all points to managerial errors. Despite all these years, they failed to resolve these issues. Now, Ronaldo’s departure is a clear sign that things were not good at all.