Cristiano Ronaldo broke down in tears as Al Nassr lost to Al Hilal on penalties in the 2024 King’s Cup final. The Portuguese star scored his spot-kick, but it wasn’t enough to take home the title.
Following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes, the game went to penalties to decide the winner. Ronaldo scored the second shot for Al Nassr after Alex Telles missed the first one, but Al-Nemer’s miss in the seventh attempt sealed their fate.
Lluis Castro’s men came close to winning the shootout after Abdulhamid missed for Al Hilal, but Ali Alhassan failed to put the ball in the back of the net as Bono guessed his intention, diving successfully to his left post.
Aldawsari put Al Hilal in front again in the following spot-kick, before the Moroccan keeper made his second save to decide the series.
Even though he scored, Ronaldo was seen extremely nervous throughout the shootout, praying along with some of his Al Nassr teammates as he craved for the title with the Riyadh-based side.
Ronaldo looking competitive as always
If that wasn’t enough to prove his competitive nature, the fact that he was crying after Al-Nemer’s miss speaks for itself. Even at 39, with countless accolades on his résumé, Ronaldo wants to succeed just like at the beginning of his career.
Regardless of the Ballon d’Ors or the number of Champions League titles won by Ronaldo, the veteran striker still feels sad whenever he misses out on another title for his career. And that competitive spirit is always good for the beautiful game.
How many titles has Cristiano Ronaldo won with Al Nassr?
Cristiano Ronaldo got to lift one trophy with Al Nassr so far. His first and so far only title in Saudi Arabia came in August 2023, when he helped his side beat Al Hilal in the Arab Club Champions Cup final.
The Portuguese striker netted a brace that day, in what has also been a dramatic final that went to extra time. He continued to deliver fantastic performances after that tournament, but his teammates failed to keep up.
Al Nassr finished 14 points behind champions Al Hilal in the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League despite Ronaldo making history by breaking the all-time record for most goals in a single season with 35.
