1-1! Ronaldo is missing, Riyadh wins and misses the AFC Elite League next season

In the early morning of May 17, 2025, in a match in the 32nd round of the Saudi Professional League, Riyadh won a 1-1 draw with Altai at home. This draw put the team in an embarrassing situation of missing the AFC Elite League next season.

C Ronaldo has not played for two consecutive games. In the last round against Al Okode, Riyadh won the opponent 9-0, but the Portuguese superstar did not make the appearance. In this round, he faced Altai, and he watched from the wall again.

Although Otavio scored at the beginning of the second half to help the team take the lead, Riyadh victory failed to hold on to the victory and was eventually tied by his opponent and could only accept a disappointing draw at home.

After this game, Riyadh won 64 points, ranking fourth, and fell behind the second-ranked Riyadh New Moon with 2 rounds of the league, which also means that they will miss the qualification to participate in the AFC Elite Championship next season. This season, since Jeddah Nationals won the AFC Elite League championship and their ranking is very low, this means that there are only 2 places left to enter the AFC Elite Championship through the league.

This is undoubtedly a huge blow to the victory of Riyadh, which is determined to dominate Asia. If the team still cannot win in the last two rounds of the game, the team will usher in a "disastrous" season - all four are gone: no championship in the league, the Saudi King's Cup was eliminated, the Saudi Super Cup defeat, and may even completely miss the second-level AFC Champions League next season.

At the same time, the club will usher in major adjustments this summer. According to Saudi media reports, the country's sovereign wealth fund (PIF) intends to renew his contract with 39-year-old Ronaldo for a few more years, hoping that he will remain in the team. However, the Portuguese superstar may also choose to transfer to other teams.

In addition, many stars, including Laporte, are also interested in returning to the European arena, and coach Stefano Pioli's position as coach is also undecided.

Since leaving Juventus in 2020, Ronaldo has missed any official championship for five consecutive seasons. From Manchester United to Riyadh victory, this football legend has never regained its former glory.