What's going on with Ronaldo?

Consecutive failures in important arenas are raising big questions about Ronaldo's future in Saudi Arabia.

In the early morning of May 8, Al-Nassr's 2-3 defeat to Al-Ittihad in the 30th round of the Saudi Pro League has left Al-Nassr almost empty-handed this season, and at the same time pushed the team into the prospect of losing a ticket to the AFC Champions League Elite next season. And it's not just a technical defeat. A wave of harsh criticism is aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo, the superstar who was once expected to bring glory to Saudi Arabian football.

Bitter

The match against Al-Ittihad was a forgettable one for Al-Nassr. Despite leading by two goals, Ronaldo's team still let their opponents come back and win 3-2. The 11-point gap with the top team Al-Ittihad has almost completely shattered Al-Nassr's hopes of winning the Saudi Pro League with only 4 rounds left in the season.

The climax of the disappointment was the moment Ronaldo raised his hands in anger when Houssam Aouar scored the winning goal for Al-Ittihad. A few dozen minutes earlier, after the opponent equalized 2-2, CR7 also grimaced, pressed his palms together and raised them to his face, implying that his teammates were defending like they were sleepwalking.

Ronaldo’s actions caused controversy. On social media, fans did not hesitate to criticize the Portuguese superstar. One user wrote: “A captain behaving like a crybaby, it is unacceptable. Ronaldo is dragging Al-Nassr down.”

Another opinion is more harsh: “Ronaldo raised his hand as if he had done something in this match. He does not deserve to wear the captain's armband.” This opinion is completely justified, because Ronaldo played extremely poorly in the match against Al-Ittihad. The Portuguese superstar did not score or assist, and continuously lost the ball unluckily.

On the other hand, his former teammate Karim Benzema shone brightly to help Al-Ittihad turn the tables. It should be remembered that Ronaldo (200 million euros/year) is earning twice as much as Benzema (100 million euros/year) in Saudi Arabia.

While Ronaldo faded, Benzema shone.

Ronaldo has reason to be frustrated with his teammates, because many times this season, the Portuguese striker shined but still could not help the team. He scored 23 goals and had 3 assists after 28 matches, a very good result for a 40-year-old striker.

However, Ronaldo has often been lackluster at key moments this season. The match against Al-Ittihad is just one example. When Al-Nassr unexpectedly lost 2-3 to Kawasaki Frontale in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite 2024/25, Ronaldo repeatedly missed opportunities to equalize in the final minutes of stoppage time.

CR7 could not become the "savior" of Al-Nassr, the team's leadership had the highest expectations in the tournament. The moment Ronaldo was helpless in stretching to score in the 90+4 minute of the match against Kawasaki Frontale showed many things. Age has greatly affected the Portuguese superstar, causing him to decline rapidly.

Uncertain future

Despite maintaining his impressive scoring form since joining Al-Nassr in 2023, Ronaldo's journey to conquer major titles in the Middle East has been unsuccessful. So far, the only title Ronaldo has won with Al-Nassr is the Arab Club Champions Cup, a competition not officially recognized by FIFA.

Al-Nassr is almost empty-handed this season. Worse, if they do not improve their performance in the last 4 rounds, this team could lose their ticket to the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26. That would be a disastrous scenario for Ronaldo and his teammates.

Ronaldo once declared that he came to Saudi Arabia not only to score goals but also to change the face of football in this region. However, after three seasons, the simplest thing is to conquer major titles with Al-Nassr, Ronaldo still has not done it.

CR7's ugly reaction in the recent match against Al-Ittihad partly reflects the Portuguese superstar's frustration. He is expected to be the leader of the team, but he loses his temper when things don't go in the right direction.

Ronaldo's contract with Al-Nassr expires at the end of June 2025, but with what has just happened, an extension seems far away. In Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo is facing unprecedented challenges in his career.

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Source: https://znews.vn/chuyen-gi-dang-xay-ra-voi-ronaldo-post1551878.html