Ronaldo nears first major trophy at Al-Nassr but rivals find it a little too convenient

Star lifting the Saudi Pro League trophy would go down well with authorities but success is down to coach Jorge Jesus

Cristiano Ronaldo is close to his first major trophy since signing for Al-Nassr in December 2022 but it is going to be tight. With three games of the Saudi Pro League remaining, his side are five points clear of their Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal, who amazingly are second despite not losing any of their 30 matches under Simone Inzaghi (also amazingly, the Italian is under some pressure). Al-Hilal have a game in hand, though, and the two meet next Tuesday in what could be a title decider. At a time when Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is cutting back on certain sporting investments, one of its highest-profile acquisitions is poised to make headlines.

Some have complained that it is all a little too convenient and that the authorities are engineering a Ronaldo win. Ivan Toney has scored 27 goals for Al-Ahli but that has not been enough to stop the Jeddah giants from falling out of the race that until the last few weeks was a four-way affair.

Continue reading...