Cristiano Ronaldo's first full season at Al-Nassr is now over, and he will be holding his head up high after plundering 44 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions. Thirty-five of those came in the Saudi Pro League as he set a new competition record while becoming the first man to win a Golden Boot in four different countries.
"I don’t follow the records, the records follow me," Ronaldo wrote on social media after beating Abderrazak Hamdallah's previous mark of 34 goals in a single season. It's remarkable that the 39-year-old is still finding the net at such a prolific rate, and no one will be surprised if he breaks more records in an Al-Nassr shirt next term.
But it appears that Ronaldo has lost his winning touch. He arrived at Al-Nassr on a free transfer in January 2023 after an acrimonious end to his second stint at Manchester United, and despite his scoring exploits, his new club have had no tangible success to celebrate in the 16 months since his glitzy unveiling.
There was a time when Ronaldo's presence gave his team an edge in the most important matches, but those days are long gone. He's evolved into little more than a stat-padder, and although the five-time Ballon d'Or winner isn't really damaging his overall legacy in the Middle East, he's certainly not enhancing it either.