Lionel Messi won a trophy faster in America. When will Cristiano Ronaldo win the Saudi League?
Source: Mehrdad Esfahani via Wikimedia
Lionel Messi has reaffirmed his dominance on the world football stage after clinching his first league title with Inter Miami. As the Argentine superstar reached the pinnacle in the United States, his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo is still chasing his maiden league crown in the Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr.
The question now is, when will Ronaldo follow suit?
According to Opta's rankings, MLS sits in 12th place, while the Saudi Pro League is ranked 17th.
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Messi led Inter Miami to become MLS Cup 2025 champions after defeating Thomas Mueller's Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the playoff final on Sunday, December 7, 2025, early morning Western Indonesia Time. For Messi, this league title was achieved in just his third season of adventure in the United States.
That journey wasn't instant. In 2023, Messi's debut season, Inter Miami failed to even qualify for the playoffs. A year later, The Herons' run was halted in the first round of the 2024 playoffs.
The peak of their resurgence came in 2025, when Inter Miami not only became champions, but Messi also claimed the MLS Golden Boot with 29 goals.
He nearly secured the most assists title but had to settle for second place with 16 assists, just one behind San Diego's Anders Dreyer (17).
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Cristiano Ronaldo is entering his fourth season with Al Nassr.
CR7's sharpness is unquestionable. Since his arrival in January 2023, he has scored 84 goals in the Saudi Pro League. However, that sharpness hasn't been enough to deliver a league trophy.
In his first half-season, Al Nassr finished as runners-up behind Al Ittihad. In the 2023/2024 season, Ronaldo and his teammates again had to settle for second place, this time behind Al Hilal.
In 2024/2025, Al Nassr's performance actually declined and they could only finish the season in third place.
Now, the 2025/2026 season offers new hope. Al Nassr has looked convincing in the opening nine matches and tops the standings with a four-point lead over Al Hilal.
With this positive momentum, Ronaldo is on the right track to finally lift his first league trophy in the Arabian Peninsula.
Messi has completed his mission in MLS. The spotlight now turns to Ronaldo. Will this season finally see him complete his legacy in the Saudi Pro League?
