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You can’t win them all.

We’re delighted to announce that Saudi Arabia has broken Cristiano Ronaldo

Michael Lee •

It was all set up for Cristiano Ronaldo to begin the 2024-25 campaign with another trophy.

A goal and assist in the Saudi Super Cup semi against Al Taawon capped off a 2-0 win and sent Al Nassr into the final against Al Hilal, last season’s runaway league champions.

As both teams emerged from the tunnel in Riyadh, Ronaldo tempted fate by touching the Saudi Super Cup. Perhaps it was an indication that superstitions are the invention of a fearful mind or that Ronaldo actually thinks he’s a god. It’s a difficult one to call.

Whatever your own theory, there’s no denying it proved to be the kiss of death for his chances of winning a 36th career trophy.

In fairness, the 39-year-old initially appeared unfazed and opened the scoring with a classic opportunistic finish, sticking his boot out to tap home from close range after a clever cut-back.

It was his 897th career goal and celebrated with all the pomp and grandiosity we’ve come to expect from late-career Ronaldo, only just falling short of his team-mates bowing at his feet and the manager bringing him grapes.

But a second-half disasterclass changed all of that.

Former Manchester United transfer target Sergej Milinkovic-Savic kickstarted a remarkable comeback for Hilal in the 55th minute as he burst into the box after a smart one-two and slammed an effort into the roof of the net.

And fellow Serb Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice in six minutes to give his side a comfortable 3-1 lead. Ronaldo threw his arms in the air with the vigour of a man defending himself against a horde of wasps in response.

Malcom added a fourth for Al Hilal in the 72nd minute; the Brazilian robbed goalkeeper Bento after a poor touch and tapped into an empty net.

It was the cue for Ronaldo to throw the contents of Toys ‘R’ Us from his gilded pram. The former Real Madrid star began berating his team-mates from the centre circle, appearing to insinuate that they’d ‘sh*t’ themselves in a post-watershead gesture

The forward also signalled that they’d been sleeping by placing two hands next to his ear. Perhaps Riyadh’s amateur dramatic society awaits once he finally hangs up his boots.

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Footage later showed Ronaldo storming back towards the dressing room, choosing to leave the stadium without his runner-up medal after the four-team tournament came to a conclusion.

Boasting 66 goals in 72 games, Ronaldo hasn’t lost his eye for goal and helped Al Nassr win the Arab Club Champions Cup at the beginning of last term.

But by finishing a whopping 14 points behind Al-Hilal in last season’s title race, the club are nowhere near achieving their ambition.

Ronaldo has never taken defeat well – it’s part of what’s made him one of the greatest footballers of all time – but the pain of losing a pre-season tournament is heightened by the advanced state of his career and the forward’s poor Euro 2024 with Portugal.

Despite his 40th birthday coming up in February, former United team-mate Rio Ferdinand recently claimed that Ronaldo isn’t going anywhere.

“I can’t give too much away but I’ve been doing a few bits with Cristiano behind the scenes and he’s playing as long as he wants,” Ferdinand revealed on Rio Reacts.

“He ain’t going nowhere. And I was gobsmacked. And listen, you’ll see it in time, but minimum three years I think he plays for again.”

If Ferdinand is right, it would appear Ronaldo still has time to add to his bulging trophy cabinet – but not if the limitations of his Al Nassr team-mates break him first.

By Michael Lee

Cristiano Ronaldo Saudi Arabia