Cristiano Ronaldo scores, but Al-Nassr's frustrating debut raises questions about the star's future

At 39, Cristiano Ronaldo still does what he knows best: score. In Al-Nassr's debut in the Saudi Pro League 2024/25, he scored the first goal, a fine header that aroused the crowd into the belief that with CR7 on the pitch, nothing can go wrong. But soccer, we know it, is something quite unpredictable. And this time it was no different.

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The 1-1 draw with Al-Raed at Al Awal Park tasted of bitterness. Ronaldo did what he was supposed to: scoring his 898th career goal and seeing another ruled out for offside. But the rest of the team didn't match up. Al-Nassr has begun the season in a very limp fashion and shows almost suffocating dependence on their Portuguese star. As if all roads lead to him, as if the whole team expects Ronaldo to solve everything on his own at any moment.

Well, even the greatest needs help. The truth is that despite undoubted talent and experience, CR7 is no longer the same relentless young man who solved the entire match with a blink of his eye. That is, his body, at 39, does not turn on with the same explosiveness. This isn't a critique of the star but takes into consideration some of the very unrealistic expectations we sometimes heave upon him. To expect Cristiano Ronaldo to single-handedly take Al-Nassr to the top of Saudi soccer is, at best, unfair.

There lies an important question in the midst: Al-Nassr urgently needs a plan B. Betting only on Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliance could be a shot in its own foot. The draw against Al-Raed should definitely serve as a warning for the coaching and management team. It needs to invest in reinforcements, create tactical alternatives, and most importantly, learn to divide up responsibilities on the pitch. The talent of Ronaldo has to be a differentiator, not a lifeline.

What we're talking about here is the Al-Nassr side that, even with some good players like Sadio Mané, doesn't have the balance to make it a totally competitive team. The backline wobbles; midfield cannot find the creativity that should be there; and the ball just stubbornly continues to arrive only at Ronaldo's feet. Against more organized teams, this could be fatal.

If he wants to hit the 1,000 mark, Ronaldo, whose contract will run until June 2025, needs an Al-Nassr capable of providing what he wants. Recall that his best scoring season was 2014/15, with 61 goals for Real Madrid. Today, it's a different time, and this Ronaldo, although one of the best, needs a team that can complement him with support and shining around him.

But the next challenge for Al-Nassr will be away to Al Feiha, and expectations are that Ronaldo can hit the historic 900 goals. For that to happen, much more needs to be shown by the team than was shown in their opening game. You cannot win games just because you have the best player on the pitch; you have to play like a team, think like a team, and win like a team.

The evident thing is that the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi soccer raises the level of the competition, attracting eyes from all parts of the world and bringing a glamour that did not exist. But glamour doesn't win games. You have to work, train, and above all, understand that soccer is a team sport. Ronaldo did it many times in his career; now it's time for Al-Nassr to do theirs. After all, even the greatest of kings needs his knights.