Did Al Nassr make a mistake signing Cristiano Ronaldo?

Cristiano Ronaldo has definitely still got it. He posted a picture of himself in his underwear last Saturday and racked up four million likes on Instagram inside the first two hours. Furthermore, his historically big-money move to Saudi Arabia has seen him knock one-time rival Lionel Messi off the top of the Forbes list of the highest-earning athletes in sport.

It's been a slightly different story on the field, though. When he arrived in Riyadh in January to impressive fanfare, Al-Nassr were top of the Saudi Pro League. However, Ronaldo's new club sensationally ended up finishing second to Al-Ittihad, who claimed their first title in 14 years after Ronaldo and Co. slipped to a 1-1 draw against Al-Ettifaq on Saturday. That result left Al-Nassr five points behind the champions elect with just one game left to play.

So, what went wrong for the heavy favourites? Did Al-Nassr throw away the title? And was Ronaldo's signing a factor in an underwhelming second half of the season?

'A better man now'?

Ronaldo recently conceded that he had a "bad career run" during his second stint at Manchester United, which ended with him leaving in the most acrimonious of circumstances, prompting criticism from some of his staunchest supporters.

However, he argued that it was "part of my growth", that it helped him mature. "I'm a better man now," he insisted in an interview with Sport TV + in March.

That may well be true, but he's certainly not a calmer character. If anything, the Ronaldo we've seen in Saudi Arabia is even more aggressive and petulant than any previous incarnation of 'CR7'. In the space of a month, we saw him angrily boot the ball away (while Al-Nassr were 2-0 up!), kick a water bottle, lash out at his own bench, throw a tantrum over a contentious call, shove a member of a rival backroom team who wanted a selfie, reject a shirt-swap, and even floor an opponent with a wrestling-style takedown

Most controversially of all, he appeared to make an obscene gesture towards Al-Hilal fans - who had been taunting him with Messi chants from before the game - after a 2-0 loss at the King Fahd International Stadium on April 18.

There were even calls for him to be kicked out of the league for grabbing his crotch in a seemingly provocative manner. However, Ronaldo escaped sanction, thanks in no small part to the fact that The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Football Association only reviewed official match footage of the game, and not fan videos that subsequently appeared on social media.

Although the club's rather ingenious explanation of Ronaldo's actions, which was relayed to journalist Muhammed Al-Enezi, may also have helped: "Ronaldo suffers from an injury. His challenge with Gustavo Cuellar, the Al-Hilal player, started with a blow in a very sensitive area. This is confirmed information. As for the fans' explanations, they are free to think whatever they want."

'The envious invent the rumour...'

It's worth noting that Ronaldo has, depressingly, had to put up with increased media focus on his private life since arriving in Saudi Arabia. There were even reports that his relationship with Georgina Rodriguez was on the rocks after an argument while boarding a plane in April. However, Ronaldo's partner replied on Instagram: "The envious invent the rumour, the gossip spreads it and the idiot believes it."

Such tabloid tattle is, unfortunately, nothing new for the family. The only difference during this latest adventure is that they have had to deal with scrutiny of their marital status, given it's illegal for an unmarried couple to cohabit in Saudi Arabia.

An exception seems to have been made for Ronaldo and Rodriguez, but that still hasn't ceased speculation surrounding the latter's online activity because of the country's laws on clothing and social media posts. Almost inevitably, that has led to talk of the Argentina-born Spanish model being unsettled in Saudi Arabia and wanting to return to Europe.

'The not-so-happy life he's living'

Brazil legend Rivaldo recently questioned Ronaldo's decision to join Al-Nassr, claiming that "sometimes players are fooled by the big contracts they sign in Saudi Arabia".

"But then life there is more closed and soccer is not always as easy as they expect," the World Cup winner told AS. "Maybe he’s going through a period of disappointment and even reflection. Is the money he’s being paid to make up for the not-so-happy life he’s living right now?"

Reports in Spain suggest that Real Madrid's all-time record goalscorer is not happy with the standard of infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, with Mundo Deportivo claiming that he feels it is "very far from modern society". However, it would be unfair to portray Ronaldo's time in Saudi Arabia to date as a completely miserable experience.

We've seen his family in the stands joyously celebrating a dramatic win over Al-Batin at the start of March, while Ronaldo himself was all smiles after twice receiving special cakes from his club, first for his birthday, and then for becoming the most-capped player in international football history. We also saw the Portuguese's playful side when he played the role of photographer during a team training session.

Flashes of his former self

There have also undoubtedly been times when he's looked like he's enjoying his football again. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner may have been held scoreless in his first two competitive outings for Al-Nassr, but he was named the Saudi Pro League's Player of the Month for February after scoring eight times in just four fixtures.

With on rounds remaining, he's managed 14 goals in 19 matches, which is not too shabby, even if five of those strikes came from the penalty spot.

There have also been flashes of the old turn of pace that used to leave defenders trailing in his wake, and even a goal from a free-kick.

Of course, at other times, he's looked like exactly what he is: an ageing superstar struggling to connect with colleagues of inferior quality. "I swear to God," former Al-Nassr star Fahd Al-Huraifi wrote on Twitter, "I did not want Cristiano to come to the Al-Nassr while we still had Talisca, because if both players say 'Give me the ball to score', it's a disaster.

"I love Ronaldo very much, I love his professionalism and respect, all of which are indisputable but... he is no longer able to dribble or rely on himself. He always wants an assist."

Of course, that is precisely the kind of striker Ronaldo has had to become in order to prolong his incredible career. But it's also why agent Jorge Mendes was unable to find any elite European club for his former client last summer, leading to their bitter "divorce".

Ronaldo believes he can still score goals at the very highest level - and why wouldn't he, given everything he's achieved in his career? But fellow United legend Eric Cantona is among those who feel that Ronaldo is struggling to accept that he no longer deserves to be a starter wherever he plays - which is what Erik ten Hag quickly concluded at Old Trafford earlier this season.

"There are two types of veterans: those who want to play every game because they still think they’re 25 and those who realise they’re not 25 and are here to help young players, they know they won’t play every game, but they’re aware that they’ll have their moment," the Frenchman told calciomercato.com.

"There are players who help new players: [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic still does it with Milan, or [technical director] Paolo Maldini when he was a player at Milan. Ronaldo doesn’t realise he’s not 25 years old. He’s already older and doesn’t know that, instead of being unhappy about not having played all the time, he should accept the situation."

Ronaldo appears unsuited to such a role, though. As he admitted himself, he struggled to get through the younger players during his second stint at United, thought that arguably says more about them than Ronaldo.

'Ronaldo creates a school around him'

It's not as if Ronaldo has never had a positive effect on team-mates - far from it, in fact. Just as he did at Juventus, he has inspired those around him at Al-Nassr to raise their standards when it comes to health and fitness training.

"I was uncertain, like everyone else, about what it was going to be like to work with Cristiano and if the club was going to change a lot, but I haven't found a more professional footballer than him," nutritionist Jose Blesa told Ideal. "Every conversation with him is a learning curve. We met and talked about his diet, about how he understands the importance of this and rest for performance.

"But he is the first to arrive at training and the last to leave. Dealing with him is wonderful. Cristiano helps me a lot, because we can no longer teach him anything, but he creates a school around him.

"The rest of the players do what he does because everything he does is wonderful to improve his performance. Since he has been here, all the players have trained more intensely and followed a stricter diet.

"I have not seen a club like this in which the players improve practically 90 percent in their body composition every time I see them: they have less fat, more muscle and they do all the exercises at their fingertips."

'Such players should always be respected!'

It was feared that his arrival might put certain players' noses out of joint. After all, his signing essentially forced Vincent Aboubakar out of the club, given it resulted in Al-Nassr having one too many overseas players on their roster. However, the Cameroon international subsequently revealed that Ronaldo had actually tried to convince him to stay.

Eyebrows were also raised when Ronaldo was immediately handed the captain's armband but, again, midfielder Jaloliddin Masharipov insisted that nobody in the squad, not even previous skipper Abdullah Madu, had an issue with the decision.

"It'd be a little strange if the rest of the players are captaining Ronaldo," the Uzbekistani told Sports.ru. "We expected it. Our former captain willingly handed over the armband [to Cristiano Ronaldo] without any problems. I think this is the best solution. It cannot be otherwise.

"Before Cristiano’s arrival, many people also asked me, 'Will you give him the No. 7?' How can you not give it? He is Cristiano Ronaldo! Such players should always be respected! After giving my number, many people assumed that I would leave the team. I gave my number without any problem."

Garcia and Ronaldo's doomed relationship

Unfortunately for Al-Nassr, captain Ronaldo proved unable to lead them to the league title. However, some would lay the blame for that surprising failure firmly at the feet of former coach Rudi Garcia.

How the Frenchman handled the shock signing was always going to be key to Al-Nassr's campaign and one wonders if their relationship was doomed from the start, with Garcia joking in their first press conference together that he had wanted to sign Messi before the club landed Ronaldo.

In reality, though, the problems began after the 3-1 loss to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup on January 26, when Garcia effectively blamed a Ronaldo miss for the team's defeat, claiming it "changed the course of the match". Their rapport was never quite the same from that moment on and, after months of simmering tension, things came to a head after a 0-0 draw with Al-Feiha on April 9.

After Ronaldo had stormed down the tunnel at the end of a frustrating affair, Garcia publicly criticised his team. "I don’t feel satisfied with the players' performance," he told reporters. "I asked them to play at the same level as the last game [a 5-0 win over Al-Adalah], but this didn’t happen."

Within four days, Garcia was gone.

Al-Nassr to hire Mourinho or Zidane?

Ronaldo paid tribute to the sacked manager with a social media post, saying that it had been "a pleasure" working with the 59-year-old, but it was widely reported that the forward had played an integral role in his exit, having been left distinctly unimpressed with Garcia's tactics, which he allegedly felt were holding the team back.

Dinko Jelicic was immediately installed as coach on an interim basis, but failed to turn the season around, with Al-Nassr not only pipped to the title, but also knocked out of the King Cup by Al-Wehda.

Consequently, there is mounting speculation that the club will try to bring in a high-profile coach to guarantee success next season, with Jose Mourinho and Zinedine Zidane the two biggest names now being linked with the job. However, Garcia might not be the only man to pay for a disappointing campaign with his job.

When Ronaldo sat down to speak for the first time as an Al-Nassr player back in January, he was flanked by two men, Garcia and club president Musalli Al-Muammar, and the latter is now under intense pressure. Musalli still has two years of his tenure to run, but the honorary members of the Al-Nassr Board of Directors are believed to be ready to bring a premature end to his reign.

Will he stay or will he go?

Ronaldo's position is obviously safe. The club are desperate for him to see out his contract, which runs until 2025. And it's easy to understand why. He has had a colossal impact on Al-Nassr's social media status, with their Instagram account growing from 860,000 followers before his arrival to its current tally of 14.7 million. As Musalli said at that first press conference, this deal was about more than football and the hope is that Ronaldo will continue to boost not only the club's profile, but also the league's.

However, if Ronaldo's tantrums and failing out with Garcia have proven anything, it's that he remains a fiercely competitive character. He is still desperate to win, and desperate to continue scoring goals, no matter the level. He's clearly not satisfied at the moment and that means talk of a return to Europe won't go away anytime soon.

It still appears highly unlikely that any top Champions League club would take him on, though - despite Piers Morgan's ongoing attempts to convince his followers otherwise. It's not as if the requirements of elite-level football have changed in the past six months - nor has Ronaldo done quite enough in the Saudi Pro League to suggest that he's still as effective as a player as he is a promotional tool.

Indeed, it was telling that when he was linked with Borussia Dortmund, managing director Carsten Cramer told kicker that the club's value "does not depend on social media followers. We are a football club, that's the key. Even with the best brand presentation, the be-all and end-all is the product."

Still, Ronaldo being Ronaldo, he may also be just as determined to stay in Saudi Arabia for at least another season to silence those who are claiming that it wasn't just the attacker who erred in making this historic transfer happen - but also Al-Nassr.

"If I were one of Al-Nasr's managers," Al-Huraifi confessed, "I would not have signed Cristiano. I would have looked for Messi or any other player."

Fair to say, then, that while Ronaldo certainly isn't to blame for the all of the problems that cost Al-Nassr the title, he didn't really provide as many solutions as expected.