It is the ultimate image for the poster boy of football in Saudi Arabia: Cristiano Ronaldo lifting the Saudi Pro League trophy for the first time.

Al-Nassr signed the megastar in December 2022, following his departure from Manchester United, with the goal of shocking the world and propelling the country onto the global sporting stage. However, there was some surprise that more than three years later, the 41-year-old had not won a major domestic title.

Triumph Over Damac

The wait finally ended on Thursday as Ronaldo scored twice in Al-Nassr's 4-1 victory over Damac on the final day of the season. This crucial win secured the championship title, which Al-Nassr had not won since 2019, beating their bitter rivals, Al-Hilal.

Ronaldo, who recently scored his 100th goal in the Saudi Pro League, has netted 129 times for the club across all competitions. But this title was the ultimate goal he was signed to achieve.

Influx of Stars

Since Ronaldo's arrival almost three and a half years ago, there has been an influx of big-name stars such as Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mané, Neymar, and others. These players signed with the so-called "Big Four" clubs: Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr in Riyadh, and Jeddah giants Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad.

In the summer of 2023, the quartet was taken over by the country's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which also owns Newcastle United. However, a 70% stake in Al-Hilal was sold in April 2026 to Kingdom Holding Company, a firm run by businessman and Saudi Arabian royal family member Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.

This has been the best season yet for the Big Four clubs. For a while, there were four teams in the title race, with Al-Ahli fueled by the goals of Ivan Toney and Al-Qadsiah powered by Saudi Arabian oil giants Aramco. Head coach Brendan Rodgers was looking to turn the Big Four into five, but Al-Qadsiah slipped away in the final stages.

It left Nassr and Hilal to fight it out, and it always looked likely to rest on their titanic showdown on 12 May, perhaps the biggest league game in the country's history that was watched, according to the organizers, in over 180 countries. Viewers were rewarded with a spectacular ending. With Al-Nassr leading 1-0 as the game entered its 97th minute, celebrations had already started among the yellow-clad fans, but then in what was the last action of the game, goalkeeper Bento somehow spilled a simple catch to concede an own goal. That game ended 1-1, and the title race was still alive.

On Thursday, the team convincingly got the job done, securing the title for Al-Nassr and adding to Ronaldo's impressive list of 8 league championships, following his triumphs in England with Manchester United, Spain with Real Madrid, and Italy with Juventus.

"Officials in Riyadh will likely see an Al-Nassr triumph as vindication of both Ronaldo's signing and of the decision to keep the club under PIF ownership," Simon Chadwick, professor of Afro-Eurasian sport at Emlyon Business School in Paris, told the BBC. "The league win will also help to confirm the Saudi view that success can be rapidly achieved given the right mix of domestic strategy and overseas acquisition."

Controversy and Future

The title will come as an ever bigger relief to Ronaldo after Al-Nassr surprisingly lost to Japan's Gamba Osaka in the final of the AFC Champions League Two, Asia's equivalent of the Europa League, on Saturday.

The season has not been without controversy. In February, Ronaldo missed two league games, reportedly amid concerns over how PIF has run the club compared to Al-Hilal. Others, however, believe the league favors him. Al-Ahli's Toney and Brazilian winger Galeno are among those who have accused the league of favoring Ronaldo and Al-Nassr.