RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al Nassr FC defeated Damac FC 4-1 on Thursday to clinch the Saudi Pro League title, marking the Portuguese superstar\u2019s first league triumph in Saudi Arabia since joining the club in January 2023.<\/p>\n
The victory secured Al Nassr\u2019s 11th Saudi league crown and their first domestic championship since Ronaldo\u2019s arrival, as the Riyadh-based club finished two points ahead of arch-rivals Al Hilal SFC on the final matchday of the season.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The title win capped an intense and dramatic campaign for Al Nassr, who had narrowly missed the opportunity to secure the championship earlier following a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Al Hilal last week. The team also faced disappointment after suffering a surprise defeat to Japan\u2019s Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League Two final last weekend.<\/p>\n
However, coach Jorge Jesus guided his side to a commanding performance against Damac at King Saud University Stadium, where Al Nassr\u2019s attacking stars delivered under pressure.<\/p>\n
Former Liverpool FC winger Sadio Man\u00e9 opened the scoring late in the first half before Kingsley Coman doubled the advantage shortly after the interval. Ronaldo then struck twice to complete the emphatic victory, taking his league tally for the season to 28 goals.<\/p>\n
The Portuguese icon has now scored more than 100 goals for Al Nassr since his landmark move to Saudi Arabia following his second spell with Manchester United FC.<\/p>\n
An emotional Ronaldo received a standing ovation when substituted three minutes before full-time, with supporters celebrating the achievement of one of football\u2019s most decorated players.<\/p>\n
The five-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner has now won domestic league titles in Portugal, England, Spain, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, further cementing his legacy as one of the greatest footballers in history.<\/p>\n
Ronaldo is also preparing to represent Portugal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will mark his sixth appearance at football\u2019s biggest global tournament \u2014 a record achievement reflecting his remarkable longevity and consistency at the highest level.<\/p>\n
The Saudi Pro League title adds another major milestone to Ronaldo\u2019s illustrious career and highlights the growing global profile and competitiveness of Saudi football, which has attracted some of the world\u2019s biggest stars in recent years.<\/p>\n
Al Nassr\u2019s triumph is being viewed as another major boost for Saudi Arabia\u2019s ambitious sports development vision, as the Kingdom continues investing heavily in football infrastructure, international talent, and global sporting partnerships aimed at strengthening its position as a major destination for world sports.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al Nassr FC defeated Damac FC 4-1 on Thursday to clinch the Saudi Pro League title, marking the Portuguese superstar\u2019s first league triumph in Saudi Arabia since joining the club in January 2023. The victory secured Al Nassr\u2019s 11th Saudi league crown and their first domestic championship since Ronaldo\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":12376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-middle-east","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12375"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85979,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12375\/revisions\/85979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}