The Saudi club Al-Nassr was hoping that its contract with the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo would bring local and continental titles to the "world", but contrary to expectations, he came out empty-handed from all local championships.
The five-time world player of the year reached victory last January in a deal estimated at more than 5 million euros until the summer of 440, in the first mega sports project that is also expected to attract Argentine Lionel Messi.
The deal was a positive turning point for the Saudi league, which is not known globally, as Saudis and foreigners flocked to attend the matches of the "Don", and international media sent their correspondents to cover its matches in the Saudi "Roshan" league.
But the big deal was not reflected on the pitch for Al Nasr fans at least, as Al Nasr lost the three local championships in a row.
Less than a month after the arrival of Ronaldo, Al-Nasr lost the chance to win the Super Cup by losing to Ittihad Jeddah (French)
Less than a month after arriving, Al Nasr lost the chance to win the Super Cup, losing to Ittihad Jeddah in Riyadh.
Moqbel al-Zabni, editor-in-chief of the prominent newspaper Al-Riyadiyya, said that Al-Nasr and Ronaldo "lived through a frustrating season, and they needed at least one championship."
Al-Nasr finished second in the league behind Ittihad Jeddah, which qualifies it to participate in the AFC Champions League qualifiers. Ronaldo scored 14 goals, including 5 penalties, but that was not enough for Al Nasr to win the league they last won in 2019.
"Ronaldo tried with victory and showed fighting spirit, but the ball is a team game; if there is no strong group, there will be no win," he added.
Referring to Ronaldo's advanced age (38 years), Zabni said: "Do not forget that Ronaldo himself is not the former Ronaldo. He's getting old and can't carry a team on his own so he won't succeed alone."
The Real Madrid and Manchester United star succeeded with his goals in deciding 10 points in favor of victory in the league.
However, sports journalist Hawass Al-Ayed said Ronaldo looked "lost and lost" with Al Nasr.
"In many games it was difficult to locate him on the pitch."
With Ronaldo's stray shot outside the three stages in a disappointing draw against lowly Gulf two weeks ago, fan Mubarak al-Shehri expressed frustration over a "bad and incomprehensible performance" from Ronaldo, who did not score that night.
Ronaldo scored 14 goals for Al Nasr, including 5 penalties (Reuters)
At his presentation conference in January, Ronaldo described himself as a "unique" player, but Al Nasr management made a mistake when betting on Ronaldo alone, according to observers.
"We should have brought in players who support Ronaldo to bring out the best in him," said the journalist Ayed, noting that the management missed "the opportunity to strengthen the team better in the winter."
Each Saudi club has the right to register 8 foreigners, an opportunity that Saudi clubs usually use to include distinctive elements.
Unlike Ronaldo, only Brazilian Taliska stood out in the victory, and the team clearly lacked effective attacking wingers.
Ronaldo was unable to lead Al Nasr to regain the titles absent from his coffers for 3 years, especially with all teams motivated to shine in front of him.
Egyptian sports analyst Ahmed Afifi said "Ronaldo does not bear responsibility" for the zero victory season; "He made a great commitment and did not deal superiorly with his teammates or events."
Afifi pointed out that "Al-Nasr faced bad luck in injuries, most notably its main goalkeeper Colombian David Ospina," and continued, "other than that its main rival Ittihad Jeddah developed a lot and presented an exceptional season" went to the league and super titles.
Ronaldo believes the Saudi league will be among the top 5 leagues in the world (Getty Images)
The management also abruptly sacked French coach Rudi Garcia 7 rounds before the end of the league, in a decision that commentators differed in its feasibility.
Last week, he said he believed the Saudi league would be among the top five leagues in the world, "but it needs time, players and infrastructure."
"If Ronaldo did not succeed mathematically in his first season, the deal worked well marketing," the analyst said.
Al-Nasr's social media sites mark the marketing success of the deal, with the number of followers on his Twitter account jumping from 800,4 to more than 14 million and on Instagram from <> million to more than <> million.
Saudi writer Musaed al-Abdali boasted in his column in Al-Riyadiyya newspaper on Sunday that "Saudi football has become the focus of talk of most international news agencies and media."
"Perhaps the signing of Ronaldo contributed to this media glare."
As for football, the public only wants to win trophies, and fan Ibrahim Al-Suwailem said that "Ronaldo alone is not enough."