GOALThe Portuguese's week has been bad enough on and off the pitch already, and now he faces being left behind in the Pro League title race
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This isn't how Cristiano Ronaldo's time in Saudi Arabia was supposed to go down. After effectively forcing Manchester United to terminate his contract late in 2022, the legendary Portuguese forward was meant to have found refuge in the riches of the Pro League. Yet on a week in which his Red Devils nemesis Erik ten Hag has been sacked, it is still Ronaldo who is facing the most humiliating of realities.
Al-Nassr's rise to global fame with CR7 by their side has not gone hand-in-hand with the success that has so often followed him throughout his career. The 39-year-old remains a marvel in his own right given the miles on his body, but his influence is waning and he has failed to find glory to the Middle East.
We're only just exiting October, though Al-Nassr's season is already on the brink of crisis. They trail table-topping Al-Hilal by six points ahead of their crunch clash on Friday and have been dumped out of the King's Cup. And before you let your imagination run wild, they're miles off the standard in the AFC Champions League as well – 'Mr Champions League' is looking more and more like a UEFA trademark.
Ronaldo, for his part, is still delivering goals and assists, but decline is an inescapable phenomena that spares no athlete. He's not the player he used to be, and his team just aren't good enough with or without him. GOAL charts where his marriage to Al-Nassr has gone wrong and where it can still unravel.
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