It was amid this atmosphere of high tension, scepticism and scrutiny that Al-Nassr took to the field on Thursday night for their final game of the SPL season, against Damac.
Once again, the hosts knew that victory would secure the title - and on this occasion, they got over the line.
Ronaldo began to well up as he made his way back to the centre circle after his second goal.
Plenty of outside observers were surprised by his tears, but while Ronaldo winning the SPL title may not have meant much to the wider football world, it clearly meant the world to Ronaldo.
"People had been arguing over whether Ronaldo really cared about Al-Nassr and his legacy in Saudi Arabia.
It was amid this atmosphere of high tension, scepticism and scrutiny that Al-Nassr took to the field on Thursday night for their final game of the SPL season, against Damac. Once again, the hosts knew that victory would secure the title - and on this occasion, they got over the line.
Mane scored the crucial opener from a corner, Coman gave Al-Nassr some breathing room with a stunning strike from the edge of the area, but after the relegation-threatened opponents pulled a goal back from the penalty spot, it was Ronaldo, inevitably, who took centre stage.
The Portuguese made it 3-1 with a cross-cum-shot that evaded a box full of bodies on its way into the bottom right corner of the net, before sealing the win - and the title - with a close-range finish with just nine minutes to go.
Ronaldo began to well up as he made his way back to the centre circle after his second goal. He knew the job was finally done, his mission belatedly accomplished. More than three years after his arrival, he was finally about to get his hands on a 'major' trophy and he completely broke down after leaving the field to a standing ovation shortly before the full-time whistle.
Plenty of outside observers were surprised by his tears, but while Ronaldo winning the SPL title may not have meant much to the wider football world, it clearly meant the world to Ronaldo.
"People had been arguing over whether Ronaldo really cared about Al-Nassr and his legacy in Saudi Arabia. Or if he only cared about himself and the money he was making," Elhalmoush says. "But we'd already seen him cry after losses in big games because he really seems to like the club and the fans. He's become even more involved than we expected, he's a part-owner of the team now and he even enjoys the Saudi culture.
"Of course, he's got his own personal objectives, like reaching 1,000 goals or playing professional football with his son, which is very close because Cristiano Junior could be added to the Al-Nassr senior squad this summer. He was also under pressure to deliver a title as the face of the footballing revolution in Saudi Arabia.
"But it was important to him, I think, on a purely personal level. Yes, the money is great, his lifestyle is great, and everything revolves around him, but, at the end of the day, he's just an incredibly competitive character, a really great professional who wants nothing more than to win.
"For this reason, a lot of neutrals were really rooting for him, because he deserved it, for the passion and commitment he'd shown to a league that was far below his level before he arrived. Even if you're not a Ronaldo fan, I think the sight of him crying after the game tells you everything you need to know about him."
