Ronaldo scores twice as Al Nassr seal Saudi Pro League title

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice as Al Nassr secured the Saudi Pro League title with a 4-1 victory over Damac on Thursday, ending the Portuguese forward's wait for a domestic league trophy in Saudi Arabia.

Al Nassr needed the win on the final night of the season and finished two points ahead of Al Hilal. Ronaldo's two goals came in the last half-hour of the match after his side had seen a 2-0 lead reduced to 2-1.

The 41-year-old first found the net with a free-kick in the 63rd minute, with the ball beating both the goalkeeper and a crowd of players before going in at the far corner. He added his second nine minutes from time when he met a cut-back near the edge of the six-yard box and fired high into the net.

Ronaldo watched the closing moments from the bench and was in tears as Al Nassr completed the title-winning result. It was his first major club trophy since winning Serie A with Juventus in 2020.

The Saudi league crown adds to league titles Ronaldo has already won in England, Spain and Italy, along with his five UEFA Champions League medals.

Saudi chapter and wider impact

Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January 2023 after an unhappy second spell at Manchester United. His move was widely seen as the start of a wave of high-profile arrivals in Saudi football, with Neymar and Karim Benzema among the players who later moved to the kingdom.

His original two-and-a-half-year contract was estimated at 200 million euros, and that deal was extended for a further two years in June 2025.

The stated objective behind the Saudi Pro League's recruitment drive was to develop it into one of the world's top five football competitions in terms of player quality, attendances and commercial performance. International interest has remained limited.

In December 2024, Saudi Arabia was confirmed as host of the 2034 World Cup, a development linked to the country's broader effort to diversify its economy away from oil and attract tourists and investment through sport.

With 664 million Instagram followers, Ronaldo has remained one of the most visible figures associated with that push. Saudi Arabia has faced accusations of sportswashing as it has invested heavily in football as well as Formula 1, golf, boxing and tennis.

It also said some of the kingdom's more ambitious diversification spending, including tourism projects and NEOM, has been scaled back. This month, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund said it was leaving the LIV Golf venture after reportedly investing more than $5 billion in the breakaway tour. The flow of expensive football signings has also slowed significantly.

Mixed moments before the title

Ronaldo finished as the Pro League's top scorer in each of his first two seasons in Saudi Arabia, and his overall career tally has now reached 973, leaving him close to the 1,000-goal mark. He is also the leading scorer in men's international football with 143 goals.

His time at Al Nassr has included setbacks as well. In 2024, he was left in tears after Al Nassr lost the King's Cup final to Al Hilal on penalties, denying him what would have been his first Saudi title at the time.

Ronaldo was absent from Al Nassr's line-up for three matches this season in what was described as an apparent protest over Benzema's transfer to Al Hilal.

Al Nassr and Al Hilal were among the Saudi clubs owned by the Public Investment Fund, the country's $900 billion sovereign wealth fund.

Before Thursday's success, Ronaldo's only trophy with Al Nassr had been the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup. He had also suffered disappointment on Saturday, when Al Nassr lost to Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League Two final.

Ronaldo was named in Portugal's squad this week and is now set for what would be his sixth World Cup campaign.