Cristiano Ronaldo has single-handedly put Saudi Arabian football on the map. His surprise decision to join Al-Nassr in January 2023 after a sad end to his second spell at Manchester United was ground-breaking, as it sparked an influx of top talent to the Middle East - with Karim Benzema, Neymar and Riyad Mahrez among those to tread the same path from European giants to Pro League challengers.
Saudi's top division has been labelled a 'retirement league' in some quarters, and for certain players who have passed the age of 30 that is exactly what it is, because the financial packages on offer for players of their age are unmatched anywhere else in the world. But Ronaldo insisted that tangible success was his main motivation after signing the most lucrative contract in the sport's history at Al-Nassr.
"I'm a unique player. I beat all the records there [In Europe]. I want to beat a few records here," the Portugal international said at his unveiling. "It's not the end of my career to come to Saudi Arabia."
Ronaldo wasn't able to inspire Al-Nassr to silverware in the second half of the 2023-24 season, but they opened the current campaign by winning their first-ever Arab Club Champions Cup title, and their poster boy took home the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer. Luis Castro's side have gone from strength to strength since then, and Ronaldo has continued to deliver the goods in the final third, defying his age in the process.
The opportunity to lift another trophy could well arise if Al-Nassr can keep it up - albeit perhaps not the one they would have targeted as a priority at the start of the season.