Ronaldo Stumbles at Al Nassr as Controversies Over Ten Hag Feud and Portugal Suspension Take Their Toll

Cristiano Ronaldo endured another difficult outing as he blazed a penalty wide and squandered a gilt-edged opportunity during Al Nassr's narrow 1–0 victory against Neom in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday.

The 41-year-old was awarded a spot kick just before the halftime whistle after teammate João Felix was fouled inside the penalty area. Ronaldo proceeded to fire his effort wide, squandering a golden opportunity to inch closer to his highly-anticipated career milestone of 1,000 goals.

The evening went from bad to worse for Ronaldo when he inexplicably volleyed Sadio Mané's perfectly laid-off ball over the bar from just a few yards out with an empty net beckoning. That opportunity carried an xG value of 0.83, while the five-time Ballon d'Or recipient ended the game without registering a single shot on target from six attempts.

Al Nassr, currently sitting third in the Saudi Pro League table after nine matches, still secured all three points courtesy of a second-half goal from Felix.

Stats Snapshot: Ronaldo vs. Neom

*Statistics courtesy of FotMob

Portugal Drama

Ronaldo's underwhelming performance for Al Nassr comes on the back of a turbulent week for the veteran forward.

The Saudi Pro League appearance marked Ronaldo's first action since news broke of his provisional suspension by Portugal following his departure from the national squad amid a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus during the most recent international break.

On Monday, the Portuguese Football Federation handed Ronaldo a modest fine of just €255 ($286) along with a 30-day ban—backdated to allow Ronaldo to return to the squad ahead of the upcoming Nations League fixtures in November.

The lenient penalty indicates an intention to swiftly reintegrate Ronaldo into the Portugal fold and repair the relationship between player and coach, though questions persist over who truly holds authority within the national setup.

Ronaldo's dramatic exit from the Portugal camp and the ensuing controversy stood in stark contrast to his fierce rival Lionel Messi's emotional farewell for Argentina. The 39-year-old received a moving send-off in his 208th and final international appearance as the Ronaldo saga played out on the other side of the globe.

Ronaldo remains very much on course to reach his 1,000-goal milestone, yet his immediate future with Portugal stays uncertain, with a string of managers struggling to navigate the complexities of handling the aging icon.

'He Let Me Down'—Ten Hag Puts Ronaldo on Blast

Elsewhere, former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag launched a scathing attack on Ronaldo's professionalism in a candid interview with The Athletic.

The Dutchman, who was at the helm when Ronaldo made his acrimonious exit from Old Trafford in late 2022, alleged that the striker was unwilling to train at the required intensity and even encouraged his fellow players to ease off during the manager's training sessions.

"He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him," Ten Hag said. "Obviously, he's one of the best in football history. I respected him a lot. But at that time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision and keep the players I admire in.

"Many times I say, 'Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can't bring yourself in the box, you can't score.' He was not capable to do this. It's the wrong idea to put this to me that I expected him to do the pressing, that he's exhausted. But he couldn't. He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was because he didn't prepare himself.

"Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team.

"He was telling the players, 'Save your legs at the training.' I understand it when you are top fit; you have sessions, you can save the legs. But first you have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels."