Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr ignited a cultural and sporting fervour in Saudi Arabia, smashing records and boosting national pride on a global stage.
Forget the rumours of retirement; Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2023 move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr wasn’t an epilogue, it was an explosion.
His arrival didn’t just inject a legend into the Saudi Pro League (SPL) – it flipped a global switch, turning the eyes of the football world towards the Middle East.
Imagine a league once on the periphery of world football suddenly thrust into the heart of the conversation. That’s the “Ronaldo Effect”.
Cristiano Ronaldo has only added to his interest since joining Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr FC in January 2023, becoming the world’s highest-paid athlete.
After arriving in Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo netted his first goal in a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), representing a combined team of Al Nassr FC and Al Hilal SFC players.
In the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo’s first goal came against Al-Fateh in a 1-0 win over Al-Ettifaq, and he soon followed it up with multiple hat-tricks, including back-to-back ones in 2024.
Cristiano Ronaldo was named Saudi Pro League Player of the Month for February 2023 after tallying eight goals and two assists.
His 35-goal haul in the 2023-24 season set a new league record, breaking the previous mark set by Abderrazak Hamdallah. Ronaldo also fired Al Nassr to their first Arab Club Champions Cup title with a brace in the final.
So far, he has scored 97 goals in 107 appearances for the Riyadh-based club. Across his storied career with Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and now Al Nassr, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has amassed over 700 club goals… to read more click here.