Cristiano Ronaldo broke down in tears when his Al Nassr team fell to Al Hilal in the King’s Cup final late on Friday, prolonging his title drought in Saudi Arabia.
As Al Hilal rejoiced, the Portuguese superstar, whose entrance into the oil-funded Saudi Pro League last year unleashed a torrent of elite players, collapsed to the ground.
The 39-year-old Ronaldo then left the pitch slowly and sat in the dugout, tears flowing down his cheeks.
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s goal for Al Nassr against Arsenal was cancelled out in the 88th minute by a goal from Ayman Yahya, who scored in a furious encounter that saw three red cards, including one for Ospina.
However, Al Hilal finished undefeated in domestic play and went on to win the Super Cup and the Saudi Pro League before winning 5-4 in the shootout to complete the Saudi treble.
Al Hilal has amassed a record 34-match winning streak across all competitions this season despite star signing Neymar’s injury since October.
Despite the prolific Ronaldo, who set a Pro League record with 35 goals, Al Nassr, who finished second in the league behind Al Hilal, fell to the same team in the Super Cup and were eliminated once more.
The Arab Club Champions Cup from the previous year is the only trophy he has won with the Riyadh club.
After two and a half years, Ronaldo’s contract, which is expected to bring him 400 million euros, expires at the end of the following season.
