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Is the Title Slipping Away in Saudi Arabia? Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr’s Disastrous Start to the Year
The plan looked flawless and the start was perfect. But in just a few weeks, everything has changed for Cristiano Ronaldo and his team.
A Project Built to Win Immediately
Al-Nassr went all in last summer with one clear objective: finally winning the Saudi Pro League. Around Cristiano Ronaldo, the club assembled a star-studded squad featuring names like João Félix, Kingsley Coman, and Íñigo Martínez, adding to established figures such as Sadio Mané and Marcelo Brozović.
For the first ten matchdays, everything went according to plan. The team delivered a flawless start with 30 points from 30 possible, sitting top of the table and opening up a promising gap over their closest rival.
From Dominant Leaders to a Heavy Blow
That reality has changed abruptly at the start of 2026. Al-Nassr have played three matches and lost all three, a run that has shattered the optimism built over previous months. The most painful blow came against Al Hilal, their direct title rival.
The 3–1 defeat was especially damaging because a win would have left Cristiano’s side just one point off the top. Instead, the loss dropped them seven points behind the leaders — a significant gap in such a short league campaign.
Cristiano has continued to score, netting twice in those three games, but his goals have not been enough to alter the team’s trajectory. They are goals without reward, mirroring a side struggling to find collective solutions.
Visible Frustration and a Fading Objective
As the matches go by, Cristiano Ronaldo’s body language tells its own story. He looks frustrated, subdued, and fully aware that the margin for error is now razor-thin. Either the team reacts immediately, or the title dream will slip away once again.
In the latest clash with Al Hilal, the Portuguese star even made clear gestures of dissatisfaction with the refereeing, suggesting his team felt hard done by — another sign of the growing tension around the squad.
Despite everything, Cristiano keeps his eyes on the horizon. Beyond the domestic title, he continues to fine-tune his form with a bigger goal in mind: arriving in peak condition for the June World Cup, shaping up as his next major challenge.
The plan was set. The start was perfect. But now, time is running out — and a response is no longer optional.
