There’s a well-worn saying: you get what you pay for.
But whether Saudi football league team Al Nassr has received full value from its reputed $600 million investment in Cristiano Ronaldo depends on how you measure success.
Ronaldo turns 40 this year, and with his Al-Awwal Park contract set to expire this summer, a recent cryptic post on X – “This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all” – suggests his time in Saudi has reached its end.
Where this Gulf episode fits in Ronaldo’s epic career is hard to say.
The Portuguese striker arrived in the region as one of the most decorated players in football history with five Ballons d’Or, league and cup triumphs across England, Spain and Italy and more Champions League titles than most clubs can claim.
His move to Riyadh was heralded as a turning point for the Saudi Pro League – the arrival of credibility in the form of a global icon.
And yet, by the standards of his previous achievements, the silverware haul has been meagre. Just the single trophy, the Arab Club Champions Cup, is all that he’ll have to show for his time in yellow and blue.
Yes, he scored twice in that final against Al Hilal. Yes, his numbers remain staggering: 79 goals in 88 appearances. That’s roughly $7.6 million per goal by rough calculation – a hefty return, but perhaps not the kind the club’s accountants had in mind.
Still, Ronaldo has never just been a footballer. He is a brand, billboard and model rolled into one. His global social media following alone dwarfs that of entire clubs and leagues. “He has been instrumental in raising Saudi Arabia’s football profile,” said Simon Chadwick, professor of AfroEurasian sport and a close observer of the kingdom’s sporting ambitions.
The Portuguese star championed Saudi’s 2034 World Cup bid before it even had a challenger. His arrival preceded a flood of foreign stars in the kingdom and over $1 billion in transfer spending, signalling a seismic shift in the footballing landscape.
Since Ronaldo’s Saudi signing, stadiums have been fuller, hashtags have trended faster, and European broadcasters have taken note. He became the face, not just of Al Nassr, but of a broader sporting pivot by Saudi Arabia, used in everything from tourism campaigns to stadium grand openings.
But let’s not pretend he changed the game on the pitch.
“We haven’t seen the best of Ronaldo,” Chadwick notes. “He hasn’t revolutionised football in Saudi Arabia, nor changed how the world sees it.”
What he has done, however, is open doors for sponsors, for broadcast rights and for Saudi football to be taken, at the very least, more seriously.
It is also undeniable that Ronaldo’s time in Riyadh has offered a measurable return on investment in goals and global attention, in contrast to Neymar’s ill-fated spell at rival Saudi league team Al Hilal.
The Brazilian was signed for a reported $98 million in 2023, but played just seven games due to injury, scoring only once for his Saudi club. By rough calculation, this works out at nearly $35 million per appearance, not counting the millions paid for social media promotion, win bonuses and image rights.
While both players were marquee signings during Saudi Arabia’s record footballing spend, the differing contribution is clear. Ronaldo, despite his age, delivered consistently on the pitch and off it. However, Neymar never really got started. His departure to Santos after just 18 months highlights the risky nature of betting big on star power.
The Saudi league is far from being bereft of foreign superstars. The Portuguese and Brazilian may have gone, but 182 overseas players are still plying their trade in the SPL, according to transfermarket.com. That’s just over 37 percent of the total number of players in the league and they hail from countries as diverse as The Gambia, Jamaica, Panama, Liberia and Scotland.
The ambition also remains. The kingdom recently made a $500 million bid for Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, although the deal fell through as the 32-year-old opted to remain with newly-crowned English Premier League champions Liverpool.
Looking ahead, where Ronaldo goes next is anyone’s guess. There’s chatter of a reunion with his long-time Argentine nemesis, Lionel Messi, on American soil for a final dance in the States.
But wherever he lands, one senses the doors of Riyadh will remain open. Not for his goals, necessarily, but for the role he played in a much larger game.
Gavin Gibbon is a senior editor at AGBI
