Al Nasr, which spent a whopping €200 million ($285 million) to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, has had its hopes of winning the Saudi Arabian Professional Football League title dashed.
Al Nasr drew 1-1 away to Al Ittifaq in the 29th round of the Saudi Professional League at Prince Muhammad Bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on Monday (Aug. 28).
With one game to go before the end of the regular season, Al Nasr is in second place with 19 wins, seven draws and three losses (64 points). Even if they win the final game, they will not be able to overtake leaders Al Ittihad (69 points).
A win on the day would have kept their title hopes alive, but they were unable to lift the trophy as they drew.
Ronaldo, who started, played 84 minutes and worked hard but was unable to add to his tally.
Ronaldo, who started the 2022-23 season with Manchester United (England), left the Red Devils for Alnasr in the winter transfer window.
Ronaldo reportedly earned €200 million in salary, although the club did not disclose the exact amount. Ronaldo played his part in the league, scoring 14 goals in 16 games, but was unable to make an impact.
Al Nasr were knocked out of the Saudi King’s Cup last month after losing 0-1 to Al Wahda in the quarterfinals. Al Ittihad lifted the league title.
In addition, Al Nasr, who finished third in the league last season, did not qualify for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League this season.
The coach who led Alnas to the title was Nuno Espirito Santo, who previously coached Son Heung-min at Tottenham Hotspur (England).스포츠토토
Since 2009, Santu has led the club to its ninth league title in 14 years (1982, 1997, 1999-2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2023). “I want to thank the players and the fans for their support this season,” said Santu, “everyone has worked hard.”
Defending champions Al-Hilal, of which Jang Hyun-soo is a member, beat Aba 3-0 on the day to move into third place (56 points). Al-Shabab, which features national team goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, is in fourth place after a four-game losing streak in the final stretch of the season.