Cristiano Ronaldo is being criticized by the soccer community as his team Al Nassr has further lost ground in their chase for the Saudi Pro League title.
Al Nassr was held to a frustrating goalless draw at Al Feiha which saw them drop more points. Ronaldo was visibly angry and frustrated. Rival fans took the opportunity to mock the Portuguese legend.
Manchester United parted ways with Cristiano Ronaldo in November 2021. This happened after the Portuguese gave an explosive interview with Piers Morgan regarding the club’s management. After no interest from any top European clubs, he then joined Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr in January. He was offered a contract that made him the world’s best-paid player.
How well has Al Nassr done since Cristiano Ronaldo arrived?
While Ronaldo is 38 years old and showed a decline in his form, he was still expected to dominate in the Saudi Pro League. Al Nassr was also on top of the league and it was expected Ronaldo would further help them to stay on top.
His first hurdle came when Al Nassr lost 3-1 against Al Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup semi-finals in his first Saudi game. Al Nassr lost the chance to win silverware with Ronaldo held scoreless.
Cristiano Ronaldo made his Saudi Pro League debut with Al Nassr, defeating Al-Ettifaq 1-0. He scored his first goal for Al Nassr in a 0-0 tie with Al-Fateh before going on to score his first hat-trick in a 4-0 win against Al Wehad. In a 3-0 win over Damac, the Portuguese star scored his second hat-trick for the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo was named February’s Saudi Pro League Player of the Month after scoring eight goals and assisting twice.
Cristiano Ronaldo has 11 goals in nine Saudi Pro League appearances with Al Nassr FC. In total, he has 11 goals in 11 games for the Riyadh-based squad.
On March 9, they again lost 1-0 to Al Ittihad which made them concede their top spot in the league to them. The last game against Al Feiha further set them back, with the Riyadh club now 3 points behind Al Ittihad.
What social media backlash did the Portuguese face?
Considering how the club dipped in form after the arrival of Ronaldo, it was obvious that social media will be teeming with opinions about the forward’s impact on the team. Ronaldo has been regularly blasted by fans and pundits alike who have claimed that Ronaldo limits the team. This is similar to the accusations made when he was at Manchester United and Juventus.
One Twitter user summed it up, “Al Nassr were leading the league before Ronaldo arrived. Then they lost the Supercup and now they are second. He’s ruining Al Nassr same way he ruined Juventus and Man United but the media won’t talk about it.”
Al Nassr were leading the league before Ronaldo arrived. Then they lost the Supercup and now they are second.
— Nolo (@NoloFCB) April 9, 2023
He's ruining Al Nassr same way he ruined Juventus and Man United but the media won't talk about it. pic.twitter.com/hXClonLHcp
Another Twitter account wrote, “Al Nassr were 9 points clear top of table and then they signed Cristiano Ronaldo for €200M now they are 2nd in the league”
Al Nassr were 9 points clear top of table and then they signed Cristiano Ronaldo for €200M now they are 2nd in the leauge😭😭 pic.twitter.com/BjEFRde7zL
— Troll Football (parody) (@Troll_Fotballl) April 9, 2023
Many pundits like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have also mocked the star for his move to the Saudi League and his limited involvement in the team aside from scoring goals.
While Ronaldo keeps facing backlash and trolls for his team’s downfall, it is fair to remember this is a 38-year-old man who arrived in a completely new league on another continent. He has scored 11 goals already in the top half of the Saudi Pro League top scorers half games played.
Obviously, a player of Ronaldo’s stature will always revive hate no matter what he does. It remains to be seen what happens next as Ronaldo and AL Nassr next faces city rivals Al Hilal on Wednesday.
