Ronaldo aiming to backup Al-Nassr finish Al-Hilal reign in Saudi

Nassr’s Portuguese ahead #07 Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates upcoming scoring his moment function all over the Saudi Professional League soccer fit between Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr on the King Saud College Stadium in Riyadh on Might 27, 2024. (Picture by way of Fayez NURELDINE / AFP)

Cristiano Ronaldo is lining up for some other Saudi Professional League season with the primary attempt of serving to Al-Nassr finish the dominance of Riyadh rival Al-Hilal.

Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr in December 2022 and has but to win a home trophy with the membership. In a social media submit this while, he wrote: Unutilized season, similar function.

Al-Hilal gained the identify extreme season with 31 wins and 3 attracts, completing 14 issues sunny of second-place Al-Nassr.

READ: Ronaldo in tears as Al-Nassr lose Saudi King’s Cup final

Hilal beat Ronaldo’s group 4-1 within the ultimate of the Saudi Tremendous Cup extreme weekend. The 18-team league kicks off its season on Thursday.

“I’m feeling a lot of apprehension because this season is going to be very difficult,” Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who signed from Chelsea extreme 12 months, informed The Related Press. “Last year, it was a tough championship, but we managed to come out on top. This year, all the teams will be gunning to beat Al Hilal.”

Endmost summer season, a yarn of big-name stars arrived from Europe’s govern leagues to attach Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia. Consistent with Deloitte’s Sports activities Industry Team, a complete of $957 million was once spent. This summer season has been relatively calmness, even though the switch window left-overs evident till Sept. 2.

For Al-Hilal, the go back of Neymar will likely be like a untouched signing. The Brazilian celebrity made simplest 5 appearances for the Riyadh membership prior to maintaining a major left knee shock generation enjoying in a International Cup qualifier in October.

“Neymar’s return is highly anticipated by our players,” Koulibaly mentioned. “We know that there is still a little bit of waiting due to his injury but people will see a great Neymar. He still has this motivation when we see him in training.”

Neymar returned to coaching extreme hour and, consistent with native media, may get started enjoying once more in September.

READ: Euro 2024: France sends Ronaldo, Portugal packing on penalties

In Neymar’s absence, Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scored 28 league targets extreme season, moment simplest to Ronaldo’s file 35. Al-Hilal additionally has Portuguese global Ruben Neves and Morocco’s Yassine Bounou in function.

Al-Nassr’s main untouched signing thus far has been Brazilian goalkeeper Bento, who replaces Colombian global David Ospina. In addition to Ronaldo, the Yellows have Senegalese celebrity Sadio Mane, Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic and defender Aymeric Laporte, who helped Spain to the Eu championship in July.

Alternative demanding situations are anticipated to return from Jeddah golf equipment Al-Ahli, led by way of Riyad Mahrez, and Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad, which has made the most important signing this summer season thus far, paying over $60 million to Aston Villa for French winger Moussa Diaby.

All 4 golf equipment, that have been taken over in 2023 by way of Saudi Arabia’s Family Funding Capitaltreasury, are by way of a long way the rustic’s best-supported groups.

League officers might be hoping a extra aggressive identify race will backup support the common attendance, which was once simply over 8,000 according to recreation extreme season.

Al-Hilal has global in addition to home ambitions. The membership will constitute Asia within the expanded FIFA Membership International Cup which kicks off June 15 in the USA.

Al-Hilal reached the general of the 2022 match prior to shedding to Actual Madrid.

“What will be expected going into that competition is that it’s going to be Neymar’s team,” the 33-year-old Koulibaly mentioned. “So we’re going to do everything in training so that he’s out there and in his best conditions to help us win trophies.”