After being heavily criticized, Ronaldo is finally getting his chance to end his drought of disappointment: ACL2 final berth → Double championship in sight

*This content was translated by AI.

"Superstar" Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al-Nassr) has finally seized an opportunity to end his championship drought since joining Saudi Arabia.

On the 23rd (Korea time), Al-Nassr secured a decisive 5-1 victory against Al-Ahli (Qatar) in the semi-finals of the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) held at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Having won the single-match quarterfinal, Al-Nassr will face Gamba Osaka in the final next month on the 17th to compete for the championship trophy.

Al-Nassr is also leading the Saudi Pro League with a record of 25 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses (76 points). With five matches remaining, they have built a significant lead over second-place Al-Hilal (68 points), making a league title highly probable. The club aims to secure both the league and ACL2 titles, achieving a double championship.

This is also a crucial milestone for Ronaldo. He has a chance to claim his first major trophy since moving to Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo, who played for European giants including Real Madrid in Spain, Manchester United in England, and Juventus in Italy, defied all expectations by joining Al-Nassr in January 2023. However, he had no major trophy success in Saudi Arabia. Although he won the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023, it was not recognized by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Now, through ACL2, he can lift his first major trophy since his move to Saudi Arabia. If he also secures the league title, he will collect two trophies simultaneously.

Until last season, Ronaldo faced heavy criticism due to his team's performance. While his individual achievements, such as winning the top scorer award, were impressive, many argued that the superstar, earning an annual salary of 28 million euros (approximately 360 billion won), failed to lead his team to a championship. This led to speculation that Ronaldo might leave Saudi Arabia. However, Ronaldo recently signed a two-year contract extension with Al-Nassr and has now brought the long-awaited first Saudi title within reach for the new season.

Looking at Ronaldo's entire career, his only continental cup triumph came in 2018 during his Real Madrid days when he won the UEFA Champions League (UCL). That was a long time ago. This victory could become one of the most meaningful trophies of his career. US-based World Soccer Talk stated, "This ACL2 final represents a crucial opportunity for Ronaldo to break his long drought of not winning a continental cup with a club team."

It was not Ronaldo but Al-Nassr's striker Kingsley Coman who led the team to victory today. Coman joined Al-Nassr from Bayern Munich (Germany) in 2025 and became Ronaldo's teammate. In today's match, Coman scored in the 13th minute of the first half, during stoppage time of the first half, and in the 19th minute of the second half, completing a hat-trick. Additionally, Brazilian midfielder Angelou contributed one goal and three assists. Angelou also previously played for the English Premier League powerhouse Chelsea. In the 35th minute of the second half, Abdullah Al-Hamdan scored a decisive goal.

US-based ESPN praised the performance, stating, "Portuguese superstar Ronaldo did not score, but French national team striker Coman delivered a hat-trick to lead the team to a comeback victory."

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*This content was translated by AI.