Ronaldo’s Al Nassr drought: 12 chances missed to win a trophy since he joined

Al Nassr just lost another Saudi Super Cup final, and it’s becoming a painful pattern. The club has spent a fortune but they haven’t won a single major trophy since Cristiano’s arrival in January 2023. Can he change the fate this season? Individually, he’s been brilliant — scoring 100 goals for Al Nassr is no joke. But here’s every painful moment where silverware slipped away.

January 2023: Lost Saudi Super Cup semi vs Al Ittihad — Welcome to Saudi Arabia, Cristiano — your new teammates couldn’t get you past the semis in your debut tournament.

April 2023: Lost King’s Cup semi vs Al Wehda — Another semi-final, another disappointment, and people started wondering if this Al Nassr squad was actually any good.

May 2023: Finished 2nd in the league — 14 goals from Ronaldo wasn’t enough to win Al Nassr their first league title in four years.

March 2024: AFC Champions League quarters vs Al Ain — The big continental prize that could’ve made this whole Saudi move worthwhile? Gone at the quarter-final stage as UAE club Al Ain taught them a lesson or two.

April 2024: Super Cup semi vs Al Hilal — Al-Hilal started becoming a real problem around this time, knocking them out again. The match was held in Abu Dhabi & I have watched it. Cristiano even got a red card.

May 2024: King’s Cup final vs Al Hilal — This one really hurt — losing a final to your biggest rivals is the worst kind of defeat in football.

May 2024: 2nd in the league again — Same story as the year before, Al Hilal taking the title while Al Nassr watched from second place.

August 2024: Super Cup final vs Al-Hilal — Another final, another loss to the same team — you can imagine how frustrating this was getting.

October 2024: King’s Cup exit vs Al Taawoun — Getting knocked out in the Round of 16 by Al Taawoun? That’s when you know things aren’t going to plan.

April 2025: AFC Champions League semi vs Kawasaki — Got closer this time but the Japanese side ended their run in the semis.

May 2025: Third place in the league — Now they’re not even close to winning the league, dropping to third for the first time since Ronaldo arrived.

August 2025: Super Cup final vs Al Ahli — Different opponent, same result — another final loss and still no trophies.

The numbers don’t lie, 0 trophies from 12 chances. For someone who’s used to winning everything, this Saudi chapter isn’t exactly going according to script.