Just hours after Cristiano Ronaldo finally lifted the Saudi Pro League trophy following a 4-1 victory over Damac, former Liverpool defender turned pundit Jamie Carragher has launched a scathing critique of the Portuguese superstar’s tenure at Al Nassr .
While fans celebrated Ronaldo securing the 33rd major title of his legendary career, Carragher argued that the jubilation masks what he considers a significant underachievement given the financial firepower and squad assembled at the club.
“People keep moving the goalposts for Ronaldo,” Carragher said. “This is Al Nassr, a club that spent fortunes, brought in elite players, changed managers, and built the entire project around him. After all of that, winning one major trophy in nearly four years is not success, it’s underachievement.”
A Costly Project With Minimal Return
Since Ronaldo’s arrival in January 2023, Al Nassr has undergone a radical transformation. The club has not only paid the 41-year-old icon one of the most lucrative contracts in sports history but has also invested heavily in building a “galactico” supporting cast to break Al Hilal’s domestic stranglehold.
Data from the 2025/26 season alone shows Al Nassr posted a net spend of approximately €90 million, bringing in stars such as João Félix (valued at €25 million), Kingsley Coman (€22 million), and Sadio Mané . Despite boasting a squad with a market value exceeding €135 million, Al Nassr has often played second fiddle .
During his tenure, Ronaldo has won just two official trophies: the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023 and now the Saudi Pro League in 2026 . Carragher noted that this haul falls dramatically short of the standards Ronaldo set at Manchester United, Real Madrid, and even Juventus.
“Al Nassr have missed out on league titles, cups, Asian competitions… and now suddenly one Saudi Pro League erases everything?” Carragher asked. “Come on.”
Controversy Clouds the Campaign
Carragher also addressed the mounting accusations of bias that have followed Al Nassr throughout the 2025/26 season, suggesting the title win is “not clean.”
His comments reference several high-profile incidents where rival players and clubs publicly questioned the integrity of the officials. Most notably, after a 2-0 defeat to Al Nassr in April, Al Ahli defender Merih Demiral launched a furious tirade against the refereeing setup.
“It looks clear referees help Al Nassr, they want them to win,” Demiral told reporters at the time, alleging that dangerous tackles on his players went unpunished . His teammate, Ivan Toney, had previously claimed that a referee told him to “focus on the AFC” Champions League rather than complain about decisions in the league .
“Penalties, soft fouls, questionable calls in big moments… rival fans have every right to feel frustrated,” Carragher added, arguing that the narrative of Ronaldo “saving” Saudi football ignores the institutional advantages his team allegedly received.
A Defining Statistic
While Ronaldo did score a brace on the final day to clinch the title, statistics reveal that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was not even the league’s top scorer this season .
Ronaldo finished the 2025/26 campaign with 28 goals—an impressive tally for a 41-year-old, but still behind Ivan Toney (32 goals) and Julian Quinones (33 goals) . For Carragher, this disparity highlights a broader issue of efficiency relative to the team’s total investment.
“It’s a trophy, and trophies are hard to win. But acting like this suddenly makes the Saudi project a huge success for him is rewriting history,” Carragher concluded. “If this happened to any other superstar, we’d call it what it is: a failure.”
Response from Al Nassr
Al Nassr has not officially responded to Carragher’s comments. The club’s immediate focus remains on the victory, which marks their first league title since 2019 and denies Al Hilal the crown . Ronaldo has described the win as a “historic moment” for the club as he sets his sights on the 2026 World Cup with Portugal.
