21 august 2024 : Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing for another season in the Saudi Pro League, with the primary objective of assisting Al-Nassr in overcoming the supremacy of their Riyadh rival, Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in December 2022 and has yet to secure a domestic title with the team. In a recent social media update, he stated: “New season, same goal.”
Al-Hilal clinched the championship last season, achieving 31 victories and three draws, and finished 14 points ahead of Al-Nassr, who placed second.
In the most recent Saudi Super Cup final, Al-Hilal triumphed over Ronaldo’s squad with a score of 4-1. The 18-team league is set to commence its season on Thursday.
“I am experiencing considerable anxiety as this season promises to be quite challenging,” remarked Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who transferred from Chelsea last year, in an interview with The Associated Press. “Last year was a demanding competition, but we emerged victorious. This year, every team will be striving to defeat Al-Hilal.”
Last summer, numerous high-profile players from Europe’s elite leagues joined Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia, with Deloitte’s Sports Business Group reporting a total expenditure of $957 million. This summer has been relatively subdued, although the transfer window remains open until September 2.
For Al-Hilal, the return of Neymar is anticipated to be akin to a new acquisition. The Brazilian star made only five appearances for the Riyadh club before suffering a significant left knee injury during a World Cup qualifier in October.
“Neymar’s comeback is eagerly awaited by our players,” Koulibaly noted. “We understand that there is still some time to wait due to his injury, but fans will witness an exceptional Neymar. He continues to exhibit motivation during training.”
Neymar resumed training last month and, according to local reports, may return to play in September.
In Neymar’s absence, Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrovic netted 28 league goals last season, ranking second only to Ronaldo’s impressive total of 35. Al-Hilal also boasts Portuguese international Ruben Neves and Morocco’s Yassine Bounou as their goalkeeper.
Al-Nassr’s major new signing so far has been Brazilian goalkeeper Bento, who replaces Colombian international David Ospina. As well as Ronaldo, the Yellows have Senegalese star Sadio Mane, Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic and defender Aymeric Laporte, who helped Spain to the European championship in July.
Other challenges are expected to come from Jeddah clubs Al-Ahli, led by Riyad Mahrez, and Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad, which has made the biggest signing this summer so far, paying over $60 million to Aston Villa for French winger Moussa Diaby.
All four clubs, which were taken over in 2023 by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, are by far the country’s best-supported teams.
League officials will likely be hoping a more competitive title race will help improve the average attendance, which was just over 8,000 per game last season.
Al-Hilal has international as well as domestic ambitions. The club will represent Asia in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup which kicks off June 15 in the United States.
Al-Hilal reached the final of the 2022 tournament before losing to Real Madrid.
“What will be expected going into that competition is that it’s going to be Neymar’s team,” the 33-year-old Koulibaly said. “So we’re going to do everything in training so that he’s out there and in his best conditions to help us win trophies.”
