Ultimate image for Saudi Arabia's football poster boy: Ronaldo wins title

Is Saudi Arabia’s sports revolution unravelling?
What is going on with Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia?
‘I belong to Saudi Arabia’ – Ronaldo committed to Al-Nassr

The biggest game in the country’s history

It has been quite a journey since Ronaldo’s arrival almost three and a half years ago.

His arrival set the scene for an influx of big-name stars such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, Neymar and others to sign for the so-called ‘Big Four’ clubs: Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr in Riyadh, and Jeddah giants Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad.

In the summer of 2023, that quartet was taken over by the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which also owns Newcastle United, though a 70% stake in Al-Hilal was sold in April 2026 to Kingdom Holding Company, a firm run by businessman and Saudi Arabian royal family member Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.

This has been the best season yet.

For a while, there were four teams in the title race with Al-Ahli, fuelled by the goals of Ivan Toney, and Al-Qadsiah, powered by Saudi Arabian oil giants Aramco – and with head coach Brendan Rodgers looking to turn the Big Four into five – slipping away in the final stages.

It left Nassr and Hilal to fight it out, and it always looked likely to rest on their titanic showdown on 12 May – perhaps the biggest league game in the country’s history that was watched, according to the organisers, in over 180 countries.

Viewers were rewarded with a spectacular ending. With Al-Nassr leading 1-0 as the game entered its 97th minute, celebrations had already started among the yellow-clad fans, but then in what was the last action of the game, goalkeeper Bento somehow spilled a simple catch to concede an own goal.

That game ended 1-1 and the title race was still alive, but on Thursday the team convincingly got the job done.

As well as being Al-Nassr’s 11th title, it is an eighth league championship for Ronaldo, following triumphs in England with Manchester United, Spain with Real Madrid and Italy with Juventus.

“Officials in Riyadh will likely see an Al-Nassr triumph as vindication of both Ronaldo’s signing and of the decision to keep the club under PIF ownership,” Simon Chadwick, professor of Afro-Eurasian sport at Emlyon Business School in Paris, told the BBC.

“The league win will also help to confirm the Saudi view that success can be rapidly achieved given the right mix of domestic strategy and overseas acquisition.

“For Al-Nassr, to achieve the iconic status as some of its domestic and Asian rivals, the club must keep on winning and also secure continental titles.”

The title will come as an ever bigger relief to Ronaldo after Al-Nassr surprisingly lost to Japan’s Gamba Osaka in the final of the AFC Champions League Two, Asia’s equivalent of the Europa League, on Saturday.

Controversy and an uncertain future

The season has not been without controversy.

In February, Ronaldo missed two league games, reportedly amid concerns over how PIF has run the club compared to Al-Hilal. Others, however, believe the league favours him.

Al-Ahli’s Toney and Brazilian winger Galeno are among those who have accused the league of favouring Ronaldo and Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo responded: “I think this is not good for the league. Everyone complains. This is football, this is not a war… but not everything is allowed. I am going to speak at the end of the season because I’ve seen many, many bad things.

“Many players have complained, doing posts on Instagram, on Facebook, speaking about the referees, speaking about the league, speaking about the project. This is not good. This is not the goal of the league.”

The overall Saudi Arabian sports project has come into question of late.

In April, PIF unveiled it would stop funding LIV Golf at the end of the current season.

In January, the 2029 Winter Asian Games that were due to be held in the country were postponed indefinitely.

It has also been unveiled that the WTA’s season-ending tennis finals will be leaving Saudi Arabia after its three-year deal with the country ends this year.

In football too, the days when the media was full of rumours and reports about big-name players heading to the Saudi Pro League have gone.

“Ronaldo’s and Al-Nassr’s shared achievement may also bring some much-needed impetus to Saudi Arabian football, which of late has somewhat struggled to sustain the hype and appeal of three years ago,” Chadwick mentioned.

There are still significant signings: Al-Qadsiah paid about £57m for Italian striker Mateo Retegui last summer and Al-Hilal splashed out about £46m on Darwin Nunez.

But, compared to the peak of 2023, there is more focus on bringing in younger players with sell-on value.

According to sources in Riyadh, there are still funds available for the right veteran superstar such as Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian, leaving Liverpool in the summer, is wanted by Al-Ittihad – but only if the price is right.

While Ronaldo’s triumph may be seen by some as vindication for all the spending, it could also be seen as a last hurrah of a bygone era when Saudi Arabian teams spent £700m in a single transfer window.

What happens next is up for debate.

“It is now for all the clubs, the league and the country’s decision-makers to capitalise upon the success that Ronaldo has helped to deliver,” mentioned Chadwick.

For the moment, however, the yellow half of Riyadh and Ronaldo’s global fanbase have much to celebrate.