Cristiano Ronaldo aims to help Al-Nassr end Al-Hilal’s dominance in Saudi football league

Riyadh: Cristiano Ronaldo is lining up for another Saudi Pro League season with the main aim of helping Al-Nassr end the dominance of Riyadh rival Al-Hilal.

Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr in December 2022 and has yet to win a domestic trophy with the club. In a social media post this week, he wrote: New season, same goal.

Al-Hilal won the title last season with 31 wins and three draws, finishing 14 points clear of second-place Al-Nassr.

Hilal beat Ronaldo’s team 4-1 in the final of the Saudi Super Cup last 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 last year, told The Associated Press. “Last year, it was a tough championship, but we managed to come out on top.”