Cristiano Ronaldo responds with message on Instagram for the first time since being reduced to tears in King’s Cup final defeat to Al-Hilal

Cristiano Ronaldo has responded for the first time after Al-Nassr suffered a disheartening defeat against Al Hilal in the King's Cup final on May 31. After a 1-1 draw at the end of full time, Al-Nassr went on to lose 4-5 on penalties.

Now, Ronaldo has posted on his Instagram for the first time since that result. The Portugal talisman mentioned the club and his achievements in the 2023-24 season. Moreover, he expressed his gratitude to his teammates and the club for supporting him throughout the season, especially during the tough moments.

"Play, learn, grow, repeat. Thank you all for your support this season. We will come back even stronger!", Ronaldo wrote in his post.

Despite Al-Nassr's underwhelming season, Ronaldo was a goal machine as always. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored a whopping 44 goals in 45 games for the yellow outfit (per Transfermarkt) and created 13 more.

In the Saudi Pro League, the Portuguese broke another record by becoming the highest goalscorer in a single season with 35 goals. He scored one more than the previous record holder, Abderrazak Hamdallah, who netted 34 times in the 2018/19 season.

This made Cristiano Ronaldo the only player to become the top scorer in four different leagues. He has been the top scorer thrice in La Liga and once each in Serie A, Premier League, and the Saudi Pro League.

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Cristiano Ronaldo left in tears after Al-Nassr's King's Cup final loss

Al-Nassr v Al-Ittihad - Saudi Pro League (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Cristiano Ronaldo was left weeping on the field after Al-Nassr's disappointing loss against Al-Hilal in the King's Cup final on May 31. In an intense showdown at Jeddah, the full-time scores ended in a 1-1 stalemate. However, Yassine Bounou's heroics saved the day for Al-Hilal who won 5-4 on penalties.

The match was intense from the very first moment as Al-Hilal's Aleksandar Mitrovic propelled his team to a 1-0 lead within 7 minutes. The drama escalated when Al Nassr's goalkeeper, David Ospina, was sent off the field for handling the ball outside the penalty area.

Later, Al Bulayhi was red-carded for headbutting a player, and Al-Nassr cashed in on to the opportunity by equalizing quickly. In the dying minutes of the game, Kalidou Koulibaly received his second yellow card and was also sent off, reducing Al-Hilal to nine men.

After a goalless extra time, the match finally went to penalties. Although Cristiano Ronaldo converted his spot-kick, Yassine Bounou's saved crucial penalties and secured the trophy for Al-Hilal. Cristiano Ronaldo was visibly distraught after the game and was seen in tears.