Question marks about Ronaldo‘s future have finally been answered. The star has emerged in Saudi Arabia and will play for Al-Nassr. The Portuguese forward, a football legend, has signed a contract.
Cristiano Ronaldo has officially joined Al Nassr, a club that competes in the Saudi Arabian Professional League (SPL). What is known about Ronaldo’s new league and the opponents he will face?
Ronaldo’s career will continue for at least another two years. And he will be a star in Saudi Arabia. So, what do we know about Al Nassr? How good are they? How good are the other clubs?
Al Nassr FC, Ronaldo’s New Club
Al-Nassr is based in the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, which is located in the center of the country. There are over 7 million people in the city, roughly 13 times the population of Manchester. The weather was also better, with temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius.
The club plays in the top division of Saudi football, the Saudi Professional League (SPL), and there are a total of 18 teams. Al Hilal won the league last season, six points ahead of Al Nassr, who are third.
At the time of Ronaldo’s arrival, Al Nassr sat second in the league, just two points adrift with 10 games played. They played at Mrsool Park, a stadium with a capacity of 25,000 people.
What are the achievements of Al Nassr?
The club is currently second on the list of the most successful clubs of all time in Saudi Arabia. In total, Al Nassr collected nine titles. City rival Al Hilal collected twice that amount.
In terms of cup competitions, Al Nassr has won the King’s Cup six times, with their last success coming in 1990.
In terms of continental success, they have yet to win the AFC Champions League, finishing as runners-up in 1995.
However, that task is perhaps not impossible, with two teams from Saudi Arabia winning the title: Al Ittihad has two Champions Leagues, while Al Hilal has six.
If Al Nassr is to qualify for the 2023-24 Champions League, they will need to win the league this season. With Ronaldo’s presence, it is certainly hoped that the club will be able to qualify for the Asian Champions League.
There are five-star players who have become Ronaldo’s teammates.
Al Nassr is a club that competes in the Saudi Arabian League’s highest caste.Currently, Al Nassr is in second place in the 2022–2023 Saudi Arabian League standings.
The presence of Cristiano Ronaldo will clearly make Al Nassr even more likely to win the 2022–2023 Saudi Arabian League.
It is certain that CR7 is not alone in helping Al Nassr win, because previously a number of star players have joined Faris Najd’s team. So who are they?
1. Vincent Aboubakar
Aboubakar is one of Al Nassr’s mainstay strikers this season. He has been with Al Nassr since the summer of 2021.
So, this is his second season defending Al Nassr. So far, the striker from Cameroon has collected two goals from nine appearances in the 2022–2023 Saudi Arabian League.
2. Talisca
Talisca is a Brazilian player who has represented Benfica. The 28-year-old attacking midfielder has also played for Besiktas and GuaZ FC in the Chinese League.
Talisca finally joined Al Nassr in the summer of 2021. So far, Talisca’s performance has been pretty good because she was able to score six goals in seven appearances with Al Nassr in the 2022–2023 Saudi Arabian League.
3. Luis Gustavo
Luis Gustavo only joined at the start of the 2022–2023 season. He moved from Fenebahce to Bayern Munich after previously defending Marseille.
Gustavo himself is known as one of the great midfielders from Brazil, whose name is indeed less competitive than that of other Samba Team players. However, Gustavo’s ability still cannot be underestimated.
4. Alvaro Gonzales
Just like Luis Gustavo, Gonzales only joined Al Nasser in the summer of 2022. He moved from Olympique Marseille after two seasons with the French team.
So far, the defender from Spain has appeared in nine of Al Nassr’s matches in the 2022–2023 Saudi Arabian League.
5. David Ospina
Ospina is one of the players with a lot of experience currently at Al Nassr. It is noted that the Colombian goalkeeper has defended Arsenal and Napoli.
Ospina also just joined Al Nassr in the summer of 2022. Now he is the main goalkeeper and the mainstay of Al Nassr.