Cristiano’s Al-Nassr plan isn’t working out

The recent Club World Cup final between Real Madrid and Al-Hilal was a source of pride for all of of Saudi Arabia. It was an achievement of such magnitude that Prince Al Waleed, a member of the Saudi Royal Family, awarded the Riyadh-based club with €25 million for their outstanding feat. Saudi Arabia is keen to have both its league and its teams in the epicenter of world football. And playing that final against Real Madrid, even though the team lost the game, was viewed as a complete success story on many levels.

However, the operation to prolong sporting success in Saudi Arabia has encountered a significant setback. At the weekend, Japanese outfit Urawa Red Diamonds left Al-Hilal without the Asian Champions League trophy - beating them 2-1 on aggregate in Saturday’s final. A high-profile stumbling block with serious consequences for all of Saudi Arabian football.

No Saudi club has managed to be crowned Asian champions and that is a problem for a nation that wants to be at the center of football outside of Europe. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman pushed the boat out helping the Ministry of Sports to entice Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the Pro League.

It was decided that the Portuguese star would join Al-Nassr as the first in a line of big stars coming to play in their league. For the same reason, they have been trying to tempt other big names, LaLiga stars past and present such as Modric, Benzema, Ramos, Busquets, Jordi Alba and of course, their number one target is Messi.

Urawa won a double prize with their AFC Champions League victory. Apart from lifting the trophy for the third time, they secured a place at the 2024 Club World Cup (to be played next February) as well as the 2025 Super Club World Cup which will feature 32 teams. A Saudi team will still be able to access the next Club World Cup since the Arab country is hosting the tournament, but that privilege is reserved for the 2022-23 Saudi Pro League champions. Barring any last minute surprises, that honour will go to Nuno Espirito Santo’s Al-Ittihad.

That will be a huge blow for Cristiano who will not be able to play the next Asian Champions League in any way with Al-Nassr. Playing in that tournament would have been an ideal showcase for Cristiano and being excluded also means he will not have the option of qualifying for the 2025 Super Club World Cup either, since the place will go to the 2024 Asian Champions League winners. Al-Hilal, Urawa and whoever finishes first in the AFC ranking in May 2024 will be secured their places. Today Al-Hilal top that ranking (1678 points), with South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai not far behind on 1627. Al Nassr sit sixth but are way off the pace on 1583 points.

Saudi Arabia has lost its hegemony in Asia. The AFC Champions League defeat to Urawa has had a domino effect that could make it much harder for them to attract the top players. The idea was for Cristiano Ronaldo to be the figurehead in a project to lead Saudi Arabian football into the future but the plan hasn’t worked out as expected.