From tantrums to tears of joy! How an emotional Cristiano Ronaldo managed to end his trophy drought with Al-Nassr and win the Saudi Pro League title

Ronaldo's shock move to the Middle East in 2023 was obviously about more than just football. It was also motivated by a mutual desire to make money. The Portugal international was promised a record-breaking wage to join Al-Nassr, who, in turn, stood to make millions from 'The Ronaldo Effect'.

As Al-Nassr's president at the time Musalli Al-Muammar said, the arrival of the most famous face on the planet would be "commercially beneficial for us in terms of profitability".

However, Al-Nassr were - and still are - owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and it backed the historic deal because the Kingdom wanted Ronaldo to become the poster boy of an ambitious national project aimed at changing the way in which the country was perceived, diversifying its economy and overhauling its infrastructure.

Ronaldo certainly held up his end of the bargain; when he wasn't scoring goals, he was singing Saudi Arabia's praises and his trailblazing transfer, coupled with the massive salaries on offer, unquestionably played a pivotal role in other high-profile players joining him in the previously unheralded SPL.

The one issue for Ronaldo, though, was that while he was scoring goals in Saudi Arabia, he wasn't actually winning any trophies. And it really was an issue.

Say what you will about Ronaldo but the man's will to win simply cannot be questioned. There's never been a more professional player in the history of the game. His commitment to his craft is unique, his rigorous fitness regime already the stuff of legend.

However, while Ronaldo once again wowed another set of team-mates with his work ethic - just as he had done in Manchester, Madrid and Turin - and unsurprisingly scored freely in a lesser league, he couldn't actually get his hands on a major trophy. And that clearly hurt him.

Ronaldo cut an increasingly frustrated figure during the 2022-23 SPL title run-in. In the space of a month, we saw him angrily boot the ball away (while Al-Nassr were 2-0 up!), kick a water bottle, lash out at his own bench, throw a tantrum over a contentious call, shove a member of a rival backroom team who wanted a selfie, reject a shirt-swap and floor an opponent with a wrestling-style takedown.

Most memorably of all, he appeared to make an obscene gesture towards Al-Hilal fans - who had been taunting him with Lionel Messi chants from before the game - after a 2-0 loss at the King Fahd International Stadium on April 18, which had some SPL followers calling for him to be kicked out of the league.

There were all sorts of reasons put forward to explain Ronaldo's irritation, including scurrilous reports that his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, wasn't happy in Saudi Arabia and that their relationship was on the rocks as a result.

In reality, Ronaldo wasn't happy with Rudi Garcia. When the Portuguese had arrived in Riyadh, Al-Nassr were top of the league under the former Roma boss. However, Ronaldo was allegedly underwhelmed by Garcia's tactics and reportedly played a pivotal role in the Frenchman's dismissal in April 2023.

Unfortunately, Al-Nassr didn't fare much better under their next two managers, Luis Castro or Stefano Pioli, and there was serious doubt over whether Ronaldo would extend a contract that was due to expire in 2025.

In fact, there was even talk that he might leave Al-Nassr for another PIF-backed club, Al-Hilal - and in time to represent the latter at last summer's Club World Cup in the United States.

Ronaldo had even posted on social media after the final game of a campaign that had seen his side fail to qualify for the Asian Champions League, "The chapter is over."

Almost exactly a month later, though, Ronaldo revealed that the story would continue at Al-Nassr. "Same passion, same dream," he wrote on Instagram after signing what was touted as the most lucrative contract in sports history. "Let's make history together."

Now they've actually managed to do so - thanks in no small part to the arrival of a couple of top-quality compatriots.

Jorge Jesus was essentially the reason why Ronaldo didn't even get close to winning the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League title, as the Portuguese coach was responsible for Al-Hilal's record-breaking 100-point haul, which was achieved without losing a single game.

So, when their great rivals decided to part company with Jesus the following year, Al-Nassr didn't hang about, hiring the former Flamengo and Benfica boss just over a month after he'd left the Kingdom Arena.

Jesus also revealed that Ronaldo's decision to stay had been utterly integral to his own decision to arrive, as he had wanted to remain in Riyadh.

Of course, Al-Nassr's ambitious summer recruitment plan also helped, as they promised to significantly strengthen the squad ahead of the 2025-26 season and proved true to their word by adding Kingsley Coman and Joao Felix to a forward line that already contained not only Ronaldo but also Sadio Mane.

With their own version of the 'Fab Four', Jesus' revitalised Al-Nassr made a sensational start to the season, winning their first 10 league games.

"All of us are quality players, and playing all four together, because we get on well, things end up going well," Felix, who ended the campaign with 20 goals and a league-high 13 assists, told the SPL's official website.

"It's good that we're all together, because when one isn't doing so well one day, the other three are. Or if two aren't doing so well, the other two are, and end up helping the team.

"I think that, when all four of us are doing well, we're unstoppable here in Saudi Arabia."

Unfortunately for Felix & Co., things took a turn for the worse around the turn of the year, as Al-Nassr dropped 10 points during a four-game winless run.

Due to Al-Nassr's dramatic dip in form, Ronaldo fully expected the club's owners to bring in some reinforcements during the winter transfer window. Jesus was also hoping to see some new faces arrive before the end of January, but the coach knew that there were no guarantees because of the club's budgetary restrictions.

Title rivals Al-Hilal had no such issues, though, and signed Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad - a shock, mid-season move that reportedly enraged Ronaldo, who apparently felt that some PIF-owned clubs were more privileged than others. Consequently, Al-Nassr's skipper went on strike, refusing to take the field for back-to-back SPL games, against Al-Riyadh and Al-Ittihad.

Unsurprisingly, the league took a dim view of Ronaldo calling the integrity of Saudi Arabian football into question. "The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: Every club operates independently under the same rules," a league spokesperson said.

"Clubs have their own boards, their own executives and their own football leadership. Decisions on recruitment, spending and strategy sit with those clubs, within a financial framework designed to ensure sustainability and competitive balance. That framework applies equally across the league.

"Cristiano has been fully engaged with Al Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club's growth and ambition. Like any elite competitor, he wants to win. But no individual - however significant - determines decisions beyond their own club.

"Recent transfer activity demonstrates that independence clearly. One club strengthened in a particular way. Another chose a different approach. Those were club decisions, taken within approved financial parameters.

"The competitiveness of the league speaks for itself. With only a few points separating the top four, the title race is very much alive. That level of balance reflects a system that is working as intended."

Whether the SPL's statement played a part in Ronaldo's return is hard to say. He never actually explained why he elected to end his one-man protest on February 14 - let alone why he'd downed tools in the first place.

Of course, the main thing was that he was back, as his absence was a PR disaster for the SPL, but the end of the boycott did not mean the end of the Ronaldo-related controversy.

As Al-Nassr maintained their title charge, some of their rivals began to take issue with the perceived preferential treatment the league leaders were receiving from officials.

After third-placed Al-Ahli were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Fayha on April 7, Ivan Toney complained about two "clear as day" penalty decisions that went against his team. When asked who might benefit from big calls going against Al-Ahli, the SPL's top-scorer replied, "We know who. Who are we chasing? If you want me to go deeper, I can go deeper, it might get me into trouble but I am a man that says it how it is."

Indeed, Toney added in a social media post later that night "It's clear what is being influenced here", while his team-mate, Galeno, was even more explicit, claiming that the SPL may as well "hand over the trophy now" to Al-Nassr. "That's what they want," the Brazilian wrote. "They want to knock us out of the championship by any means necessary. They want to hand the trophy to one person. [It's] a total lack of respect for our club."

Ronaldo was obviously unimpressed by the quite blatant allegations that officials were under orders to gift the league to its most important player.

"I was the first the first guy to come to the league and the others come here because of me, so they should respect the league, they should respect the project, they should respect the referees because while sometimes they don't make the best decisions, they are human beings, they make mistakes," Ronaldo told his former United team-mate Rio Ferdinand.

"So, I think the SPL should have a big meeting and make some rules. If, not I don't think the league is going to continue to grow in the next years."

Ronaldo also revisited a theme he'd brought up even before his boycott by claiming that it was actually Al-Nassr - not Al-Ahli or any of their rivals - who were being hindered by external forces.

"We know that we have to fight harder to win inside the pitch because we know that other clubs have power outside the pitch. This is the truth. This is a fact," he declared.

"But I don't want to speak about that [now]. I will speak about that at the end of the season about many, many things because I have been quiet for many, many weeks."

Ronaldo being Ronaldo, he also responded to Al-Ahli's accusations by netting in a crucial 2-0 win over Toney & Co. at the end of April. However, a shock 3-1 loss to Brendan Rodgers' Al-Qadsiah allowed Al-Hilal draw to within striking distance and led to a potential title-decider against Al-Nassr last week.

Victory would have given Al-Nassr an unassailable lead at the top of the table and they were just seconds away from being crowned champions when a calamitous own goal from goalkeeper Bento gifted Al-Hilal a draw. Ronaldo, who had already been substituted, couldn't help but break into a rueful smile on the bench but Al-Nassr's fans were gripped with fear that their team was going to throw away another title.

As GOALArabia's Deputy Chief Editor Haytham Elhalmoush explains, "Nobody actually believed that Al-Nassr would win. They had a similar reputation to the likes of Inter, Atletico Madrid or Arsenal before their title win, in that they were a big team with a large fanbase but were mainly known for falling at the final hurdle in the Saudi Pro League. Many people thought that this would immediately change when they signed Ronaldo - but it didn't.

"They hadn't won the league, the cup or the Asian Champions League - despite the presence of not only Ronaldo but also Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic and the rest of the big-name players that arrived after Ronaldo. They also had some very good Saudi players too but they still couldn't get over the line. So, it became all about the character of this team. They just couldn't withstand the pressure when it came to the latter stages of the season."

The feeling that Al-Nassr were once again going to buckle under the pressure intensified after Jesus' men were upset by Gamba Osaka in the final of the AFC Champions League Two (the Asian equivalent of the Europa League) last Saturday night.

By that stage, not even Ronaldo was smiling anymore, with the 41-year-old heading straight down the tunnel at the end of the game rather than going to collect his runners-up medal with the rest of his team-mates. He'd been at Al-Nassr long enough to know that he'd still done nothing to alter the perception of the club as the biggest 'bottlers' in Saudi Arabian football.

It was amid this atmosphere of high tension, scepticism and scrutiny that Al-Nassr took to the field on Thursday night for their final game of the SPL season, against Damac. Once again, the hosts knew that victory would secure the title - and on this occasion, they got over the line.

Mane scored the crucial opener from a corner, Coman gave Al-Nassr some breathing room with a stunning strike from the edge of the area, but after the relegation-threatened opponents pulled a goal back from the penalty spot, it was Ronaldo, inevitably, who took centre stage.

The Portuguese made it 3-1 with a cross-cum-shot that evaded a box full of bodies on its way into the bottom right corner of the net, before sealing the win - and the title - with a close-range finish with just nine minutes to go.

Ronaldo began to well up as he made his way back to the centre circle after his second goal. He knew the job was finally done, his mission belatedly accomplished. More than three years after his arrival, he was finally about to get his hands on a 'major' trophy and he completely broke down after leaving the field to a standing ovation shortly before the full-time whistle.

Plenty of outside observers were surprised by his tears, but while Ronaldo winning the SPL title may not have meant much to the wider football world, it clearly meant the world to Ronaldo.

"People had been arguing over whether Ronaldo really cared about Al-Nassr and his legacy in Saudi Arabia. Or if he only cared about himself and the money he was making," Elhalmoush says. "But we'd already seen him cry after losses in big games because he really seems to like the club and the fans. He's become even more involved than we expected, he's a part-owner of the team now and he even enjoys the Saudi culture.

"Of course, he's got his own personal objectives, like reaching 1,000 goals or playing professional football with his son, which is very close because Cristiano Junior could be added to the Al-Nassr senior squad this summer. He was also under pressure to deliver a title as the face of the footballing revolution in Saudi Arabia.

"But it was important to him, I think, on a purely personal level. Yes, the money is great, his lifestyle is great, and everything revolves around him, but, at the end of the day, he's just an incredibly competitive character, a really great professional who wants nothing more than to win.

"For this reason, a lot of neutrals were really rooting for him, because he deserved it, for the passion and commitment he'd shown to a league that was far below his level before he arrived. Even if you're not a Ronaldo fan, I think the sight of him crying after the game tells you everything you need to know about him."