Cristiano Ronaldo 96th minute penalty miss sees Al Nassr lose cup tie

30 Oct 2024, 06:48 by Jason Pettigrove · CaughtOffside

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr were dumped out of the Saudi Cup. Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images

There’s never a dull moment as far as Cristiano Ronaldo is concerned.

Despite playing in the 72nd worst league in the world (TeamForm), the Portuguese apparently believes that the Saudi Pro League is the future of football.

He famously said that it was “better than the French league” (The Athletic, subscription required), but he’s fooling no one.

Earning €200m per season means he’s going to say anything that makes what is a vastly inferior league to those in Europe look better.

Even his brilliant scoring record doesn’t really stack up against the greats. How can it? Not that it will stop the player from pushing it down everyone’s throats at every given opportunity.

Cristiano Ronaldo blazes 96th-minute pen over the bar

In any event, for all of Ronaldo’s posturing, his time at Al Nassr has been a nightmare for the most part.

They won nothing at all last season, and are already trailing Al Hilal by five points after just eight games of the 24/25 Saudi Pro League season.

On Tuesday, they were knocked out of the King’s Cup at home by minnows, Al-Taawoun, and Ronaldo has to shoulder much of the blame.

Waleed Al-Ahmed had given the visitors a surprise lead on 71 minutes, before Ronaldo had the chance to equalise from the penalty spot on 96 minutes.

The pressure evidently got to him as he skied it over the bar, ensuring that Al-Taawoun were the name in the hat for the last eight.

How much longer Ronaldo goes on playing is anyone’s guess, though one could imagine if there aren’t trophies available for him to win – and if he isn’t affecting games in the way he used to – his shelf life on the pitch won’t be too far away in coming.

Cristiano Ronaldo 96th minute penalty miss sees Al Nassr lose cup tie

Cristiano Ronaldo blazes 96th-minute pen over the bar

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