Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr has created much buzz about the club and brought global attention to the team and the Saudi Pro League.
Al Nassr currently sit atop the Saudi top-flight standings and they are gunning for a league title, hoping to qualify for next year’s AFC Champions League in the process. They are also still alive in the Round of 16 for the domestic cup competition, the King Cup of Champions.
Now 37 years old, Ronaldo has signed on with Al Nassr after the mutual cancellation of his Manchester United contract that left him free to sign with any club.
With Ronaldo’s debut expected soon, The Sporting News brings you a full look at what the season holds for the Portuguese superstar.
MORE: All the details on Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract at Al Nassr that makes him the highest paid player
Al Nassr next match
Al Nassr next take the field on Saturday, January 14 against Al Shabab in Saudi Professional League play.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 8:30 p.m. local time from Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That arena is the home venue of Al Shabab, making it a road match for Al Nassr.
Al Nassr sit atop the Saudi Pro League table on 29 points through 12 matches, three points above second-placed Al Shabab. That makes this match a huge one for both clubs, as Al Shabab can pull level on points with a win, while a two-goal victory would be enough to overcome the goal differential tiebreaker and propel them into the league lead.
- Al Nassr next match: at Al Shabab
- Competition: Saudi Pro League (Matchday 13 of 30)
- Stadium: Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
- Date / Time: 8:30 p.m. local AST
Global Date & Time for Al Shabab vs. Al Nassr
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Sat, Jan. 14 | 12:30 ET |
| Canada | Sat, Jan. 14 | 12:30 ET |
| UK | Sat, Jan. 14 | 17:30 GMT |
| Australia | Sun, Jan. 15 | 04:30 AEDT |
| India | Sat, Jan. 14 | 23:00 IST |
| Hong Kong | Sun, Jan. 15 | 01:30 HKT |
| Malaysia | Sun, Jan. 15 | 01:30 MYT |
| Singapore | Sun, Jan. 15 | 01:30 SGT |
| New Zealand | Sun, Jan. 15 | 06:30 NZDT |
Al Nassr match schedule 2023
Al Nassr are leading the Saudi Pro League, and will look to push forward to finish atop the table and qualify for the AFC Champions League. It is expected that Cristiano Ronaldo will make his Al Nassr debut on January 22 vs. Ettifaq in league play after he sits out due to a two-game suspension.
The club is also still alive in the King Cup of Champions, which is the domestic cup competition in Saudi Arabia. Should Al Nassr progress past the quarterfinals in March, they will contest the semifinals sometime in April, with a date not yet determined.
Finally, they will feature in the Saudi Super Cup which is structured as a mini four-team tournament just like the Supercopa de Espana which is also held in the Arab country. Al Nassr qualified as the third-place finishers in the league last season, included thanks to Al Hilal both winning the league and reaching the King Cup finals.
| Date | Competition | Stage | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Jan. 14 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 13 | at Al Shabab |
| Sun, Jan. 22 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 14 | vs. Ettifaq |
| Thu, Jan. 26 | Saudi Super Cup | Semifinals | vs. Al Ittihad |
| Sun, Jan. 29 | Saudi Super Cup | Final | TBD |
| Fri, Feb. 3 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 15 | at Al Fateh |
| Thu, Feb. 9 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 16 | at Al Wehda |
| Fri, Feb. 17 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 17 | vs. Al Taawoun |
| Sat, Feb. 25 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 18 | at Damac |
| Fri, Mar. 3 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 19 | vs. Al Batin |
| Thu, Mar. 9 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 20 | at Al Ittihad |
| Tue, Mar. 14 | King Cup of Champions | Quarterfinals | vs. Abha |
| Sat, Mar. 18 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 21 | vs. Abha |
| April (TBD) | King Cup of Champions | Semifinal | TBD |
| Tue, Apr. 4 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 22 | at Al Adalah |
| Sun, Apr. 9 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 23 | at Al Feiha |
| Wed, Apr. 26 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 24 | vs. Al Raed |
| TBD | King Cup of Champions | Final | TBD |
| Tue, May 2 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 25 | at Al Hilal |
| Mon, May 8 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 26 | vs. Al Khaleej |
| Sun, May 14 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 27 | at Al Tai |
| Fri, May 19 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 28 | vs. Al Shabab |
| Thu, May 25 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 29 | at Al Ittifaq |
| Tue, May 30 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 30 | vs. Al Fateh |
Are Al Nassr playing in the AFC Champions League?
This season, Al Nassr did not qualify for the 2022/23 AFC Champions League.
The Saudi Pro League gets two qualifying spots for the AFC Champions League, which go to the league champion and the King Cup champion.
Last season, Al Hilal won the league, while Al Fayha won the cup for the first time in club history.
Should Al Nassr win the 2022/23 Saudi Pro League, currently atop the standings, they would qualify for next season’s AFC Champions League. Al Nassr has never won the AFC Champions League, but the club did reach the final in 1995, its only appearance in that game.
Al Nassr scores, results 2022/23
Upon Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in mid-January, Al Nassr had only lost one match all season, a 1-0 defeat against Al Taawoun back on the second day of the season.
Since that point, they’ve amassed eight wins and two draws through 10 matches, outscoring opponents 26-5.
| Date | Competition | Stage | Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 27, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 1 | vs. Al Wehda | Win | 1-0 |
| Sep. 3, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 2 | at Al Taawoun | Loss | 1-0 |
| Sep 10, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 3 | vs. Damac | Win | 2-1 |
| Sep. 15, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 4 | at Al Batin | Win | 4-0 |
| Oct. 2, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 5 | vs. Al Ittihad | Draw | 0-0 |
| Oct. 7, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 6 | at Abha | Win | 3-0 |
| Oct. 11, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 7 | vs. Al Adalah | Win | 4-1 |
| Oct. 16, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 8 | vs. Al Feiha | Win | 4-0 |
| Dec. 16, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 9 | at Al Raed | Win | 4-1 |
| Dec. 21, 2022 | King Cup of Champions | Round of 16 | vs. Al Adalah | Win | 2-0 |
| Dec. 26, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 10 | vs. Al Hilal | Draw | 2-2 |
| Dec. 31, 2022 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 11 | at Al. Khaleej | Win | 1-0 |
| Jan. 6, 2023 | Saudi Pro League | Matchday 12 | vs. Al Ta’ee | Win | 2-0 |