British journalist Piers Morgan has told Al-Nassr what they need to do to keep their star man Cristiano Ronaldo happy. Morgan mentioned to the club's official media (via Goal) that Ronaldo does not like coming second, and that they must do everything within their power to get back to winning ways.
The Portuguese legend, surprisingly, has won just one title after arriving in Saudi Arabia in January 2023, but his standards have not fallen at all. He has found the back of the net on a whopping 78 occasions in 87 appearances across all competitions but has been disappointed with Al-Nassr's collective showing. He also scored six goals in as many matches in an unofficial preseason tournament for the Saudi Premier League side.
While Al-Nassr missed out on the Saudi Pro League title to Al-Hilal in the 2023-24 season by 14 points, they are currently sitting fourth in the table in the ongoing season. With 35 points, Al-Nassr are still eight points adrift of the league leaders Al-Hilal, who are widely tipped to pick up the title this season as well.
Now, Morgan, considered to be a close friend of Cristiano Ronaldo's, has spoken to the club's official media and aired his thoughts about this predicament.
“Al-Nassr, clearly at the moment, are not quite firing how I think Cristiano would like them to. Probably need a few new players coming in to help him, and then they can really compete to win the title. I know Cristiano, he wants to win the league. He doesn’t like coming second, or third, or fourth. He wants to win. Need a few more winners in that team and you can do it,” said Morgan via X.
Here is a clip of what he said:
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers in the world, having won the Ballon d'Or award on five occasions. He comes second only to Lionel Messi on this list, who has won the prestigious prize eight times so far in his career.
The former Manchester United attacker is known to be an extremely competitive sportsman who dislikes losing at all costs. He enjoyed a second coming at Manchester United from 2021 to 2022.
Having first played for the Red Devils from 2003 to 2009, Ronaldo was expected to upturn the struggling club's fortunes around. However, his relationship with then-manager Erik Ten Hag soured, and he left the club to move to Saudi Arabia.
Although he may be disappointed with Al-Nassr's titles (or lack thereof), he is likely to extend his contract for a further 12 months. This is expected to take him through to the summer of 2026 when the FIFA World Cup will also be played.
Manchester United have not seen better days since Cristiano Ronaldo departed for the second time. Despite the appointment of new head coach Ruben Amorim in November 2024, they currently sit 12th in the Premier League table.