The goals keep on flowing for Cristiano Ronaldo but guiding his Al Nassr team to trophies is proving far more problematic for the veteran striker.
Heading into Friday's Riyadh derby against Al Hilal, Ronaldo once again tops the Saudi Pro League scoring chart with 19 goals in 24 games, coming hot-on-the heels of last season's SPL record-breaking total of 35.
Ronaldo dubbed that campaign “one of the best seasons I’ve ever had” but it was still not enough to propel Al Nassr to the title as they finished second, a mighty 14 points behind undefeated rivals Al Hilal.
This season, Nassr have closed the gap on their Riyadh rivals to six points – the only problem being Ronaldo and Co find themselves 10 points behind league leaders Al Ittihad.
“It’s hard to compete with teams like Al Hilal and Al Ittihad, but we are still there, still pushing and fighting,” Ronaldo said in January.” "I will continue to push and help my team Al Nassr to win titles. I believe that this year will be a good year, inshallah.”
But any hopes of lifting what would only be his second domestic trophy – after the 2023 King Salman Arab Club Cup which saw Ronaldo score a double in the 2-1 win over Hilal – look all but over.
Nassr were thumped 4-1 in the Saudi Super Cup final by Hilal in August and, a little over two months later, fell to a surprise defeat at home to Al Taawoun in the Kings Cup last 16, which saw Ronaldo blaze a stoppage-time penalty over the bar.
With the SPL crown seemingly out of reach, only the AFC Champions League remains up for grabs, with Nassr taking on last season's runner's-up Yokohama F Marinos from Japan in the quarter-finals.
And for a player who won the European version five times with Manchester United and Real Madrid, Asia's premier club competition is very much on the 40-year-old's wish list.
But before the first-leg in Japan on April 26, Ronaldo will be aiming to remove an albatross from his back at the Kingdom Arena on Friday.
Since moving to Saudi Arabia at the end of 2022, Ronaldo has failed to find the back of the net in four SPL games against Hilal. Nassr have failed to win any of them.
Hilal represent the only SPL club – bar Al Batin, who he has faced only once – that Ronaldo has failed to score against in a spell that has seen him notch 69 times in 71 games.
He will go into the match on a high, though, having helped Portugal secure a spot in the Uefa Nations League semi-finals with a goal in their 5-2 second-leg win over Denmark – while also missing a penalty – that sealed a 5-3 aggregate victory.
And he should have January signing Jhon Duran alongside him to carry the burden in attack with the Colombian striker poised for his first capital derby having already scored five goals in six SPL matches.
Al Hilal, meanwhile, have found life tougher this season after their exploits last time round. Jorge Jesus' side went the entire 34-league campaign without tasting defeat on their way to a record-extending 19th title.
Their remarkable 46-match unbeaten run – that came in a period which also saw them reach a world-record 34 consecutive wins across competitions – finally came to an end in November when Hilal side lost 3-2 at Al Khaleej.
In January, Brazilian superstar Neymar's injury-ravaged spell at Hilal came to an inglorious end after just seven appearances when his contract was terminated.
They have also been without prolific Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic for three months since early January due to a niggling hamstring problem during which time Hilal suffered an all-too rare blip in form.
They would go on a run of one win in five SPL games – that included a 4-1 humbling at title rivals Al Ittihad – while also suffering back-to-back defeats – against Al Ahli and Pakhtakor – for first time in almost three years.
But Mitrovic, 30, returned to action with a bang last month, scoring 26 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 2-0 win at Al Fayha.
“Thank God. Thank God I'm back,” said a visibly relieved Mitrovic after his 13th goal in 14 appearances took him to an impressive overall record of 41 in 42 SPL games.
“It's been a tough few months for me. We had some small, I can say problems, that kept me a little bit longer out of the pitch. But hopefully now I'm back, I'm going to stay injury free.
“And you have to know we are the champions. We are the champions; still champions who want to win everything, still competing for trophies.”
Whether manager Jesus will still be competing for trophies alongside Mitrovic at Hilal for much longer remains to be seen.
The veteran Portuguese coach has been linked to the Brazil national team job after the sacking of Dorival Junior following the 4-1 humiliation by Argentina in World Cup qualifying.
The Athletic reported that the 70-year-old is open to making the move now with Brazil aiming to make an appointment before the Fifa Club World Cup that begins in June.
Hilal are taking part in the expanded tournament having been drawn in a group that includes Real Madrid, whose coach Carlo Ancelotti has also previously been linked with the Brazil job.
