Updated: 10 Jul 2026 17:12 BST |
4 min read
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Cristiano Ronaldo finally ended his Al-Nassr trophy drought last season.
For years, the Portuguese legend and his Saudi club tried in vain to get their hands on major silverware. They repeatedly fell short in the Saudi Pro League and in cup competitions.
Ronaldo’s only trophy was effectively a pre-season title – the Arab Club Champions Cup – but he finally got that monkey off his back when Al-Nassr just about managed to pip Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal to the Pro League title.
Al-Hilal, Asia’s most successful team, went the season unbeaten, but nine draws meant that Al-Nassr finished two points ahead of them at the summit of the table despite losing four games.
CR7 bagged 28 goals, but it wasn’t enough to win the Golden Boot (Mexico star Julian Quinones scored 33), nor was he crowned Player of the Season, losing out to compatriot and teammate Joao Felix.
Ronaldo’s nemesis arrives in the Pro League
Title-winning coach Jorge Jesus has now replaced Roberto Martinez at the helm of the Portuguese national team – an appointment Ronaldo likely had a hand in – and has been succeeded by former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou.
It will be interesting to see if the Australian can play his high-octane style with a 41-year-old up top, but it is a hugely exciting appointment for Al-Nassr, who are determined to finally win their first continental trophy since 1998.
Al-Nassr’s Pro League rivals won’t make life easy for them, however. Al-Hilal are desperate to reclaim their Pro League crown, Al-Ahli are gunning for a record-breaking third consecutive AFC Champions League Elite title and Al-Ittihad have just made a major wildcard appointment.
The Jeddah club, who will take part in AFC Champions League Elite qualifying after a disappointing fifth-placed finish, have unveiled Jens Wissing as their new head coach. The 38-year-old German joins from Gamba Osaka.
Incredibly, Wissing has only been a senior manager since December. Gamba was his first proper coaching job, and it likely only came about due to his existing relationship with former Benfica coach Roger Schmidt, who has been the J1 League’s Global Football Advisor since October.
The J1 played out an abbreviated season, the J1 100 Year Vision League, ahead of its switch to a European-style calendar, with Gamba achieving middling results. Wissing’s real crowning moment came on the continent.
Gamba competed in the AFC Champions League Two and made it all the way to the final, setting up a tantalising clash with Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in May. A lone first-half goal from Deniz Hummet was enough for Gamba to see off the Saudi giants.
It was major heartbreak for Ronaldo, and the man who inflicted it will now look to dethrone CR7 in the Saudi Pro League.
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