At 41 years old, this is Ronaldo's last World Cup - Photo: AP
Before tasting the sweetness of victory, Ronaldo had to endure a long period without a title in West Asian football.
For the previous three seasons, Al Nassr, despite possessing a host of stars such as Sadio Mane, Joao Felix, and Aymeric Laporte, consistently failed in the AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions League Two, King Cup, and Saudi Arabian Super Cup.
In the final match to decide the championship, Ronaldo shone with a brace, including a spectacular free-kick that helped Al Nassr win the Saudi Pro League with 86 points (2 points ahead of second-placed Al Hilal). This was Ronaldo's first official title in Saudi Arabia since moving there at the end of 2022, and also ended Al Nassr's gold medal drought since 2019.
Ronaldo finished the season with 28 goals in 29 matches, bringing his total goals in the Saudi Pro League to 102 and his professional career to 973 goals. He is just 27 goals away from the historic milestone of 1,000 goals.
After being included in Portugal's 26-man squad by coach Roberto Martinez, Ronaldo became one of the players with the most World Cup appearances in history (alongside Messi of Argentina and goalkeeper Ochoa of Mexico).
Ronaldo currently holds the all-time record for most appearances for the national team with 226 matches and 143 goals, and is the only player to have scored in all five World Cups. He was a key factor in bringing Portugal its first three major titles in history: Euro 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in the 2018-2019 and 2024-2025 seasons. However, at the World Cup, Ronaldo's best performance with Portugal was a fourth-place finish in 2006, before being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Now, having won the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo is focused on only one goal: conquering the World Cup trophy – the only title missing from his illustrious career.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ronaldo-yen-long-huong-den-world-cup-2026-20260522234210041.htm
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