Cristiano Ronaldo stunned the football world when he joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on a free transfer in January 2023.
This move came about after his second spell at Manchester United ended in November 2022, just before the Qatar World Cup.
Ronaldo had his contract at Man Utd rescinded following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan, which aired after the Red Devils’ final game before the World Cup break, when Ronaldo played with Portugal in Qatar.
READ MORE: Saudi Pro League top scorers – who has the most goals?
The star forward Ronaldo had been keen to stay in Europe, but ultimately accepted a lucrative deal in the Middle East and scored 14 goals in an impressive start to his career in Saudi Arabia, with Al-Nassr finishing second in the Pro League.
Fans are now excited to see what Ronaldo can produce over a full season, as many more top football stars join him in the country.
With his first title now in the bag, can he lead Al-Nassr to more silverware in 2023-24? This page will be regularly updated to showcase his individual club statistics throughout the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo in 2023-24
After a busy pre-season period for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo kicked off his competitive campaign with a substitute appearance in the Arab Club Champions Cup in July.
He then started Al-Nassr’s second match in the competition and opened his account for the season with a goal in the 4-1 win over Tunisian club US Monastir.
Ronaldo proved decisive in the following match, his 87th minute equaliser at Zamalek taking Al-Nassr into the knockout stages of the Arab Club Champions Cup.
The former Real Madrid star then scored his third goal in just three games in a 3-1 win over Raja CA in the Arab Club Champions Cup quarter final. Summer signing Seko Fofana was also on the scoresheet.
He was next in action in the Arab Club Champions Cup semi-final against Al-Shorta, scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot to send Al-Nassr through to the final.
In classic Ronaldo fashion, he proved Al-Nassr’s hero again in the final against Al Hilal. The striker hit from close range to level the game at 1-1 with his side a man down and, following another red which left them with nine, scored again in extra time to clinch his first title in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo did not make the matchday squad for Al-Nassr’s opening Saudi Pro League game against Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq and it showed. Despite Sadio Mane’s fourth-minute opener and double-digit second-half stoppage time, goals from Robin Quaison and Moussa Dembele were enough to down the Riyadh club.
The veteran was restored to Al-Nassr’s attack for the subsequent visit of Al-Taawoun, but it was a disappointing evening for Luis Castro’s men, with Leandre Tawamba and Ahmed Bahusayn scoring in a 2-0 defeat of the Knights of Najd.
Ronaldo’s debut in the AFC Champions League appeared to be another disappointing affair as Al-Nassr found themselves 2-1 down with 88 minutes played, but a spectacular three-goal comeback saw them beat Shabab Al-Ahli 4-2, with Ronaldo assisting Marcelo Brozovic’s 97th-minute winner.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 2023-24 stats
Appearances: 7
Starts: 6
Goals: 6
Assists: 0
Ronaldo: Matches played
Al-Nassr 0-0 Al-Shabab, July 28 – Arab Club Champions Cup
Minutes Played: 28
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
US Monastir 1-4 Al-Nassr, July 31 – Arab Club Champions Cup
Minutes Played: 90
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Zamalek 1-1 Al-Nassr, August 3 – Arab Club Champions Cup
Minutes Played: 90
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Raja CA 1-3 Al-Nassr, August 6 – Arab Club Champions Cup
Minutes Played: 90
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Al-Shorta 0-1 Al-Nassr, August 9 – Arab Club Champions Cup
Minutes Played: 90
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Al-Hilal 1-2 Al-Nassr, August 12 – Arab Club Champions Cup Final
Minutes Played: 115 (inc. extra time)
Goals: 2
Assists: 0
Al-Nassr fixtures
Al-Nassr 0-2 Al-Taawoun, August 18 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes Played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Al-Nassr 4-2 Shabab Al-Ahli, August 22, AFC Champions League play-off
Minutes Played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Al-Fateh v Al-Nassr, August 25 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Shabab, August 29 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Hazem v Al-Nassr, September 2 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Raed v Al-Nassr, September 15 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Ahli, September 21 – Saudi Pro League
Ohod v Al-Nassr, September 24 – King’s Cup of Champions
Al-Tai v Al-Nassr, September 29 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Abha, October 5 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Damac, October 19 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Fayha v Al-Nassr, October 26 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Khaleej, November 1 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Wehda v Al-Nassr, November 9 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Okhdood, November 23 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Hilal v Al-Nassr, November 30 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Riyadh, December 8 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Ittihad v Al-Nassr, December 14 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Ettifaq, December 21 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Taawoun v Al-Nassr, December 28 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Fateh, February 15 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Shabab v Al-Nassr, February 22 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Hazem, March 7 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Raed, March 14 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Ahli v Al-Nassr, March 28 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Tai, April 4 – Saudi Pro League
Abha v Al-Nassr, April 11 – Saudi Pro League
Damac v Al-Nassr, April 18 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Fayha, April 25 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Khaleej v Al-Nassr, May 2- Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Wehda, May 6 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Okhdood v Al-Nassr, May 9 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Hilal, May 16 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Raed v Al-Nassr, May 23 – Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr v Al-Ittihad, May 27 – Saudi Pro League
Cristiano Ronaldo: 2022-23 stats for Al-Nassr
Appearances: 19
Starts: 19
Goals: 14
Assists: 2
Ronaldo impressed in his first season at Al-Nassr, even though the team narrowly lost out to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League title race.
The veteran forward scored 14 goals in 16 Saudi Pro League appearances. He made a further three outings in the King’s Cup without finding the net.
Ronaldo had some memorable moments. He scored four goals in a 4-0 Saudi Pro League win over Al-Wehda in February and had another league hat-trick that month in the 3-0 win at Damac.
Ronaldo’s debut at Al-Nassr was initially delayed because of a two-game suspension carried over from his time at Manchester United.
This meant he missed the match against Al Ta’ee and the encounter against Al Shabab.
Ronaldo made his official Al-Nassr debut on January 22 against Al-Ettifaq. It proved to be a rather flat occasion for the Portuguese, who failed to muster a single shot on target as he was handed the captain’s armband immediately for his new team. Nevertheless, he appeared to enjoy himself in a 1-0 victory, in which Anderson Talisca’s goal proved to be decisive for his side. Moreover, he played the full 90 minutes for his new team – much-needed game time after more than a month without competitive football.
His first appearance in Saudi Arabia, however, came on January 19 in a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain. Ronaldo didn’t feature for Al-Nassr, but instead played for Riyadh’s All-Star XI, a combined team formed for this exhibition game using players from Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo scored a brace in the game before being substituted in the 61st minute. His first was a well-placed penalty after he was fouled by PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas, while his second was a rebound finish after his initial header had hit the far post.
Ronaldo made his Saudi Pro League debut for his new employers in a 1-0 win over Al Ittafaq on 21 January, although it was Talisca who got the winning goal at the Mrsool Park.
He drew another blank in the Supercup against Al Ittahad, Talisca on target once again as Al Nassr were beaten 3-1.
His first Al Nassr goal wasn’t too long in the waiting, though, with the Portuguese finding the target with an injury-time penalty to rescue a 2-2 draw for Rudi Garcia’s side against Al Fateh on Friday.
That spot-kick was just a taster, with Ronaldo running rampant in Al Nassr’s next game – a 4-0 win over Al Wehda. Ronaldo scored all four goals, meaning he has scored at least a hat-trick every single year since 2010.
Ronaldo grabbed a couple of assists in his next game, which was a 2-1 win over Al-Taawoun.
He was back on the goal trail eight days later in spectacular style against Damac. The match was 18 minutes old when Ronaldo opened the scoring from the penalty spot, then a short while later he found space between a trio of defenders to finish brilliantly from the edge of the box.
Prior to half-time, Ronaldo completed his second hat-trick in three matches thanks in large part to winger Abdulrahman Ghareeb, whose surge down the left was the catalyst to the Portuguese having an easy finish.
🎥 هدف كريستيانو رونالدو الثالث
#️⃣ #ضمك_النصر#جولة_يوم_التأسيس 🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/tcMgAYWxCh— دوري روشن السعودي (@SPL) February 25, 2023
Next up for Ronaldo and Al-Nassr was the visit of the Saudi Pro League’s bottom club Al-Batin. An easy victory then? Not so, with Cristiano unable to find the net in what was one of the most dramatic finishes of the season.
Al-Batin took a shock lead through Renzo Lopez with a rare attack after 17 minutes, and it was still 1-0 to the visitors as the clock reached 90 minutes. However, three goals in stoppage time, including strikes in the 102nd and 104th minutes, sealed the points for the leaders.
Ronaldo failed to score again as Al-Nassr lost 1-0 to Al-Ittihad away from home. Romarinho scored the only goal of the game for the hosts.
The Portuguese also failed to find the target as Al-Nassr beat Abha in the King’s Cup on Tuesday. He was subbed off on 87 minutes but his side prevailed 3-1 regardless.
However, Ronaldo returned to the scoresheet as Al-Nassr faced Abha once again, this time in the league, with the forward scoring a free-kick to equalise late on before his side sealed a 2-1 win.
On his return from the international break, in which he scored five times for Portugal in two Euro 2024 qualifiers, Ronaldo’s hot steak of form continued as he netted twice against Al-Adalah in a 5-0 win.
⚽ Two more for @Cristiano!
🔥 He’s UNSTOPPABLE right nowpic.twitter.com/o84WrDfGG7
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) April 5, 2023
But Ronaldo and Al Nassr suffered a big blow in their next game as they could only draw 0-0 at Al Feiha, which put their title hopes at risk, and their misery was further compounded when they lost 2-0 to rivals Al Hilal, with the Portuguese star having a goal ruled out for offside.
The rot continued in a cup encounter against struggling Al-Wehda. Ronaldo’s side were again shut out as they were defeated 1-0 against the Saudi Pro League strugglers, who played nearly half the match down to 10 men. To compound Ronaldo’s problems, he was spotted raging at a coach at half-time.
Ronaldo got back among the goals in the following league game, though, rising highest to meet Sultan Al Ghannam’s cross as Al-Nassr beat Al-Raed 4-0 to reduce the gap to leaders Al-Ittahad to a provisional three points.
However, Ronaldo drew a blank in the next game as Al Nassr were held to a 1-1 draw against Al Khaleej.
He was back on the scoresheet on May 16 in the 2-0 win at Al Tai, finding the net from the penalty spot early into the second half.
Ronaldo then scored the winner in a crucial 3-2 victory against Ever Banega’s Al-Shabab on May 23, which moved second-place Al-Nassr ten points clear of their opponents in third.
That simply served to delay the inevitable, and after Al-Nassr were held to a 1-1 draw against Ettifaq, their chances of the Saudi Pro League title were ended. It was a particularly frustrating night for Ronaldo, who was replaced with six minutes left, carrying an injury.
Ronaldo: Matches played for Al-Nassr
Al-Nassr 1-0 Al-Ettifaq, January 22 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Al-Ittihad 1-0 Al-Nassr, January 26 – Saudi Super Cup
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Al-Fateh 2-2 Al-Nassr, February 3 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Al-Wehda 0-4 Al-Nassr, February 9 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 4
Assists: 0
Al-Nassr 2-1 Al-Taawoun, February 17 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 2
Damac 0-3 Al-Nassr, February 25 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 3
Assists: 0
Al-Nassr 3-1 Al-Batin, March 3 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Al-Ittihad 1-0 Al-Nassr, March 9 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Al-Nassr 3-1 Abha, March 14 – King’s Cup of Champions
Minutes played: 87
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Al-Nassr 2-1 Abha, March 18 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Al-Adalah 0-5 Al-Nassr, April 4 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 2
Assists: 0
Al-Feiha 0-0 Al-Nassr, April 9 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Al-Hilal 2-0 Al Nassr, April 18 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Al Nassr 0-1 Al-Wehda, April 24– King’s Cup of Champions
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Al Nassr 4-0 Al-Raed, April 28 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Al Nassr v Al-Khaleej, May 8 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Al-Ta’ee 0-2 Al Nassr, May 16 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Al-Nassr 3-2 Al-Shabab, May 23 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Ettifaq 1-1 Al Nassr, May 27 – Saudi Pro League
Minutes played: 84
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Cristiano Ronaldo: 2022-23 stats for Man Utd
Appearances: 16
Starts: 10
Goals: 3
Assists: 2
Ronaldo: Man Utd matches played
Man Utd 1-2 Brighton, August 7 – Premier League
Minutes played: 37
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Brentford 4-0 Man Utd, August 13 – Premier League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Man Utd v Liverpool, August 20 – Premier League
Minutes played: 4
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Southampton 0-1 Man Utd, August 27 – Premier League
Minutes played: 22
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Leicester 0-1 Man Utd, August 30 – Premier League
Minutes played: 22
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Man Utd 3-1 Arsenal, September 4 – Premier League
Minutes played: 32
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Man Utd 0-1 Real Sociedad, September 8 – Europa League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
FC Sheriff 0-2 Man Utd, September 15 – Europa League
Minutes played: 81
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Man City 6-3 Man Utd, October 2 – Premier League
Minutes played: 0
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Omonia Nicosia 2-3 Man Utd, October 6 – Europa League
Minutes played: 0
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Everton 1-2 Man Utd, October 9 – Premier League
Minutes played: 61
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Man Utd 1-0 Omonia Nicosia, October 13 – Europa League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Man Utd 0-0 Newcastle, October 16 – Premier League
Minutes played: 72
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd, October 22– Premier League
Minutes played: 0
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Man Utd 3-0 Sheriff, October 26 – Europa League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Man Utd 1-0 West Ham, October 30 – Premier League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Real Sociedad 0-1 Man Utd, November 3 – Europa League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Aston Villa 3-1 Man Utd, November 6 – Premier League
Minutes played: 90
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Man Utd 4-2 Aston Villa, November 10 – EFL Cup
Minutes played: 0
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Fulham 1-2 Man Utd, November 13 – Premier League
Minutes played: 0
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Cristiano Ronaldo 2021-22 stats
Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd: Goals, assists, results & fixtures in 2021-22
Ronaldo completed a surprise return to Man Utd after 12 years away when he left Juventus in the final days of the 2021 summer transfer window.
All in all, Ronaldo enjoyed an excellent season individually but it was a disaster from a team point of view as Man Utd endured their worst campaign since the Premier League was formed in 1992, finishing sixth and winning no trophies.
They earned their worst points tally, worst goal difference and suffered the most defeats ever in the Premier League era. They were knocked out of the Champions League in the last-16 and failed to qualify for the next edition.
They suffered a host of embarrassing defeats, as they were hammered 5-0 and 4-0 by Liverpool, 4-1 by Man City and relegated Watford and also suffered bad losses to Young Boys, Leicester and Middlesbrough.
Ronaldo, though, finished the campaign with very impressive individual numbers of 24 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions.
With 18 Premier League goals, only Mohamed Salah and Heung-Min Son scored more.
He delivered a number of clutch goals, with crucial late strikes in the Champions League versus Villarreal and Atalanta (twice), while he hit hattricks against Norwich and Tottenham.
Cristiano Ronaldo 2020-21 stats
Juventus were knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage by Porto, while Inter ended the club’s historic run of nine straight Serie A triumphs, resulting in the departure of coach Andrea Pirlo.
Ronaldo did win one trophy, playing in the final of the Coppa Italia as Juve triumphed over Atalanta.
For his goalscoring efforts in Serie A, the Portugal international won the Capocannoniere for the first time in three attempts in Italy’s top flight.
Ronaldo took that award after scoring 29 times in 33 league games (31 starts).
Across all competitions, he finished with 36 goals from 44 outings (41 starts), just one goal less than the 37 he had managed in the previous year and significantly more than the 28 registered in his first season.
