Cristiano Ronaldo witnessed his Al Nassr side lose out on winning the Saudi Pro League title for the second time in back-to-back seasons.
Ronaldo, who has been astonishing this campaign, will end the season without the league title after Al Hilal were crowned champions following their 4-1 win over Al Hazem.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr have been nearly men in the past two seasons, as their performances have only seen them end the term in 2nd place, behind Al Ittihad last season and Al Hilal this campaign.
They ended the previous season with 67 points from 30 league matches, 5 points behind eventual league winners, Al Ittihad, who concluded the previous campaign with 72 points from 30 matches.
Saudi Pro League Expanded Before The Start Of The 2023/24 Season
The Saudi Pro League was expanded to 18 teams this season, 2 more than the total number of teams that competed in the top tier last season.
Al Nassr have amassed 77 points from 31 matches so far this season, while Al Hilal, who were crowned champions on May 11, 2024, have secured 89 points from 31 games.
Champions Al Hilal Remain Unbeaten In The League This Season
Al Hilal, who have got several quaking players in their ranks, including Neymar, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Aleksandar Mitrovic, remain unbeaten in the Pro League this season, with the team only dropping points on 2 occasions – drawing to Al Fayha and Damac FC.
Interestingly, Al Nassr welcome Al Hilal to Al Awal Park in their next home game, and that fixture is one many will be looking to see how it unfolds, despite the fate of the team that will win the title being confirmed.
Al Hilal have defeated Al Nassr on 3 different occasions this season, 1 in the reverse league fixture, while another in a friendly before the commencement of the second half of the campaign.
The Pro League champions also submerged Al Nassr in the semi-final of the Saudi Super Cup, and it is uncertain if they will do a clean sweep over likely runners-up this term.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Contributions To Al Nassr
Moreover, Ronaldo has been swashbuckling this campaign, scoring goals with reckless abandon and helping his side in their battle for success.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 42 goals and provided 12 assists in 41 matches across all competitions this campaign.
Al Nassr’s epileptic form at some point this season will likely have been the primary factor that saw them lose the title to Al Hilal.
However, they haven’t done badly for themselves, unfortunately, Luis Castro’s side only faltered because they met an infallible army that have exuded brilliance since the start of the campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates will be back again to battle for the 2024/24 Saudi Pro League title, hoping to be lucky at the third time of asking.
Anyway, their last chance of silverware this term, also sees them play against Al Hilal in the King’s Cup final, and they will be looking to fight blood and sweat to win that trophy.
