Ronaldo Sets Sights on Securing All Titles with Al Nassr in the Upcoming Season
Cristiano Ronaldo is optimistic about Al Nassr’s future for the 2022-2023 season, after a trophy-less season.
“We hope to win every title,” Ronaldo said upon arriving in Japan for a pre-season tour on July 23. “We know it will be tough, but we have a good team, a new coach, and new players.”
According to Ronaldo, Al Nassr’s ambition remains unchanged from the previous season. However, he expects determination, motivation, and changes in personnel to make a difference. “Let’s see what happens,” added the former Real and Man Utd star.
Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January 2023. He scored 14 goals in 19 matches during the end of the 2022-2023 season, but the team failed to secure any titles. Al Nassr finished as runners-up in the Saudi Pro League, lost in the King Cup semifinals, and the Saudi Super Cup.
After the disappointment of the previous season, Al Nassr appointed Ronaldo’s compatriot Luis Castro as their new head coach from Botafogo. The Saudi Pro League runners-up also signed midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter, Seko Fofana from Lens, defender Alex Telles from Man Utd, and are currently pursuing forward Sadio Mane from Bayern.
In the summer friendly matches, Al Nassr won 2-0 against Alverca and 5-1 against Farense but suffered losses of 1-5 to Celta Vigo and 1-4 to Benfica. Ronaldo did not score in these matches. On July 25 and 27, Al Nassr will play friendlies in Japan against PSG and Inter.
In the 2023-2024 season, Ronaldo and his teammates will compete in five tournaments. They will kick off the Saudi Pro League in mid-August, followed by the King Cup, the Saudi Super Cup, the Arab Club Champions Cup, and the AFC Champions League playoffs.
Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr after terminating his contract with Man Utd in November 2022. In a recent interview, CR7 stated that the door for him to return to Europe has closed. The 38-year-old forward affirmed that the quality of European football leagues is declining, except for the Premier League.
Ronaldo also believes that his move to Al Nassr has opened doors for other players to come to Saudi Arabia. This summer, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante joined Al Ittihad, while Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic joined Al Hilal, and Edouard Mendy and Roberto Firmino signed with Al Ahli. According to Ronaldo, the Saudi Pro League is even better than MLS, the league where Lionel Messi is set to play with his new club Inter Miami.
