Can Cristiano Ronaldo Defy the Odds and Dominate the Saudi Pro League After a Rocky Start?
Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest for a third Saudi Pro League Golden Boot has hit a rocky patch right out of the gate. The Al Nassr skipper, who’s no stranger to gracing the scoresheet, has barely kicked off his tally this season, lagging well behind the pack of goal-hungry contenders. Missing the first two fixtures of the 2026-27 season due to a lengthy hiatus from training, Ronaldo’s comeback has been a delicate operation under Ange Postecoglou’s watchful eye—no full-throttle restarts here. When he finally stepped onto the pitch against Al Riyadh, a 4-0 rout for Al Nassr, he needed just 21 minutes to snag his first goal of the campaign—his 977th career strike, mind you—but that solitary strike still leaves him trailing the early pace-setters like Moussa Dembele and Ivan Toney, each already on a three-goal spree. At 41, and after finishing third in last season’s Golden Boot race, this slow burn start, largely a byproduct of his staggered preseason, dims hopes for an immediate leap back to the summit. But with Al Nassr’s next gig away at Al Ettifaq looming, expecting Ronaldo to lace up for his first start of the year adds a twist to this unfolding story—how Postecoglou dials in his minutes could make all the difference as the veteran digs in to sustain his legendary run. LEARN MORE .
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