Can Cristiano Ronaldo Defy the Odds and Dominate the Saudi Pro League After a Rocky Start?

Cristiano Ronaldo is already facing an uphill battle in the search for a third Saudi Pro League Golden Boot, with the Al Nassr captain only opening his scoring account for the season well behind the division’s early pace-setters.

Ronaldo was absent for Al Nassr‘s first two matches of the 2026-27 campaign, having missed preseason training entirely due to an extended break away from the squad. That absence pushed back his season debut and left Ange Postecoglou managing his return carefully rather than throwing him straight into the starting lineup.

The Portuguese forward finally got on the pitch during Al Nassr’s 4-0 win over Al Riyadh, coming on in the 62nd minute and playing only the final half hour of the match. It took him just 21 minutes to make an impact, latching onto a low cross from Ayman Yahya to scoring his 977th career goal, his first Saudi Pro League strike of the season.

Even with that goal, Ronaldo remains well off the pace in the Golden Boot standings. Moussa Dembele and Ivan Toney currently lead the race with three goals apiece, while Ronaldo sits on just one after playing a fraction of the minutes available to him so far.