Finally! Ronaldo wins a trophy in Saudi Arabia

Finally, after 14 attempts, Cristiano Ronaldo has conquered yet another country. To be fair, it took him quite a while—he arrived in Saudi Arabia in January 2023, and three and a half years later he finally became a champion. In a dramatic title race and tense finish to the season against Al Hilal, Jorge Jesus’ side handled the pressure, defeated Damac 4-1, sent them down to the Second Division, and secured the club’s 11th league title. Their first since 2019.

And, naturally, Cristiano Ronaldo put the seal on the triumph. In more ways than one. His motivation and infectious energy drove the team toward what was, ultimately, an expected celebration, and in the end the forward himself scored the goals that completed the title-winning campaign. Ronaldo made it 3-1 in the 63rd minute with a free-kick, finding a way past the opposing goalkeeper. That restored Al Nassr’s two-goal cushion after earlier strikes from Sadio Mane and Kingsley Coman while Morlaye Sylla had scored for the visitors from the penalty spot in the 57th minute. Then, in the 81st minute, the Portuguese star struck again. After scoring, he collapsed to the turf in celebration and burst into tears. It meant that much to him.

Ronaldo lost a staggering 14 titles since arriving at Saudi Arabia

Al Nassr thus held off the challenge of Al Hilal, who entered the final round two points behind and needed to beat Al Fayha—which they did, thanks to an assist from Sergej Milinković-Savic for Sultan Mandash early in the match (1-0). In the end, however, it was not enough for Simone Inzaghi’s side, who finished the league unbeaten but without the trophy. That trophy now belongs to Ronaldo. By the time he lifted it, 1,236 days had passed since he signed for Al Nassr. There had been painful defeats, frustrations, missed sitters—but CR7 never gave up. That’s why it’s easy to understand how much this title meant to him. Several moments captured it perfectly: during the warm-up he was lifting the crowd’s spirits; moments before kickoff he gave an emotional speech to his teammates, his eyes glistening; at 0-0 he said something to Mane, who scored shortly afterward; then came the celebration after the free-kick goal—and especially after the strike for 4-1. His face covered in tears of joy, caught by the cameras as he returned to the bench late in the match.

At 42 years of age, this is the fourth country in which Ronaldo has lifted a league title—after England with Manchester United, Spain with Real Madrid, Italy with Juventus, and now Saudi Arabia, a nation making giant strides on the global football stage. Along the way, like a magnet, Cristiano also attracted stars such as Sadio Mane, Aymeric Laporte, Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles, Jhon Duran, Joao Felix, Kingsley Coman, and Inigo Martínez to Riyadh. In the end, they all got to celebrate together.