Although Ronaldo scored in the first round of the Saudi Pro League in the early morning of August 23, Al Nassr only drew 1-1 with Al Raed. In addition to the goal, Ronaldo also left a bad impression when he celebrated provocatively with fans and reacted to the referee.

 

Since moving to the Saudi Pro League to play for Al Nassr , this can be considered Ronaldo ‘s most disappointing period . Although he has been scoring goals, the 39-year-old player has been constantly entangled in suspicions of a rift with his teammates and coach. Not stopping there, Al Nassr’s new season has also started worse than ever with a 1-4 loss to Al Hilal in the Super Cup final. Previously, in the 2023-2024 season, Ronaldo and his teammates also finished second in all domestic competitions, all behind Al Hilal.

Ronaldo and Al Nassr’s opponents in the opening match of the 2024-2025 Saudi Pro League are Al Raed. Notably, last season Al Raed was one of the two rare teams to win 3 points when visiting Al Nassr’s Al Awal Park. They won 3-1 against Al Nassr in March 2024 and also made Ronaldo angry because he was unable to penetrate the net.

Ronaldo criticized for causing controversy at Al Nassr

AL NASSR

Ignoring the off-field controversy, Ronaldo still started against Al Raed. Players rumored to be leaving, Laporte and Sadio Mane, also started from the start. On the coaching bench, coach Luis Castro also returned.

In the first half, the match was one-sided as Al Nassr played an overwhelming attack, leading Al Raed 1-0. The Saudi Pro League runner-up controlled the ball 80% of the time and had 12 shots (4 times more than Al Raed). Ronaldo played brilliantly and was given 7.5 points, the highest score in the half. In the 34th minute, the Portuguese player scored, helping Al Nassr take the lead. Starting from Sadio Mane’s breakthrough, the ball was crossed back into the penalty area for Ronaldo to easily shoot his signature shot, defeating Al Raed’s goalkeeper.

 

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Notably, after this goal, Ronaldo ran to the corner of the field, put both hands on his head instead of the usual “Siu” celebration. Marca ( Spain) predicted that Ronaldo’s action was in response to recent criticism directed towards him.

Ronaldo celebrates, responds to criticism

AL NASSR

In the second half, things did not change much when Al Nassr dominated all parameters. However, while playing well, Laporte suddenly made a mistake, fouling an Al Raed player in the penalty area in the 49th minute. On the penalty spot, Mohamed Fouzair easily helped Al Raed equalize the score 1-1.

Not accepting the draw, Al Nassr sent more attacking players onto the field. Starting from the 60th minute, the home team increased the pressure with many dangerous moves. Ronaldo played the highest and all the balls were aimed at the 39-year-old player.

However, Ronaldo himself also caused the match to be interrupted many times. In the 79th minute, the Portuguese player scored the second goal against Al Raed. Ronaldo ran to the corner of the field and continued to celebrate like the previous goal. However, about 2 minutes later, after consulting VAR, the referee denied Ronaldo’s goal because of an offside. In the 10th minute of injury time of the second half, Ronaldo and his teammates rushed to the referee and argued because an Al Raed player touched the ball with his hand. VAR intervened but denied Al Nassr a penalty.

Al Nassr was helpless in finding more goals in the second half.

AL NASSR

In the end, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr drew 1-1 with Al Raed on the opening day. Coach Luis Castro’s team temporarily ranked 2nd but continued to be booed and criticized by home fans after the match. According to Marca , a group of Al Nassr fans protested Al Nassr’s poor results and affirmed that they would not continue to buy tickets to the stadium. This also coincided with Al Nassr’s opening match when stands C and D were both empty.