RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo, the renowned international player of Al-Nassr Club, concluded the current season without adding any championships or trophies to his collection. This marks the fourth time in his illustrious football career that the Portuguese star has experienced a trophyless season.
Al-Nassr was unable to secure the Saudi Professional League title, which was clinched by Al-Ittihad Jeddah. The latter emerged as champions of the Roshn Saudi League after a convincing 3-0 victory over Al-Feiha in the 29th round of the competition on Saturday evening.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in Riyadh in January, following his departure from English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United. However, his new team had to settle for a second-place finish in the 16-team Saudi Arabian league. Al-Nassr’s 1-1 draw with Ettifaq, combined with Al-Ittihad’s 3-0 win at Al-Feiha, gave the Jeddah-based team a five-point lead with one game remaining. This victory secured their first league title since 2009 and marked the end of Ronaldo’s first season in Saudi Arabia without a trophy.
Ronaldo’s Career and Performance
Ronaldo began his career with Sporting Lisbon’s first team during the 2002-2003 season, during which Sporting Lisbon won the Super Championship. He then moved to Manchester United in the following season, where he secured the English FA Cup.
The Portuguese star experienced his first trophyless season in the 2004-2005 season, losing the Community Shield title to Arsenal 3-1 and being eliminated by Milan in the UEFA Champions League final with an aggregate score of 2-0. Manchester United finished third in the league behind Arsenal and Chelsea under the management of José Mourinho. They also finished as runners-up in the FA Cup, suffering defeat to Arsenal in the final.
After that season, Ronaldo won eight tournament titles before joining Real Madrid in the 2009-2010 season. However, he faced another trophyless season in his debut season with the Spanish giants.
During his time with Real Madrid, Ronaldo experienced the most successful period of his career, winning a total of 16 different championships, including four Champions League titles, before moving to Juventus.
After spending three seasons with Juventus, during which he won five championships, Ronaldo emotionally returned to Manchester United for the 2021-2022 season. The team secured victories in the League and Confederation Cups against West Ham and Middlesbrough, respectively, but finished sixth in the league.
In the current season, Ronaldo terminated his contract with Manchester United in November 2022 and joined Al-Nassr during the winter transfer window. However, he was unable to lead the team to the league title, which was ultimately claimed by Al-Ittihad. Additionally, Al-Nassr suffered elimination in the semi-finals of the Super Cup and the King’s Cup, losing to Al-Ittihad and Al-Wehda, respectively.
