WATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo in tears after Al-Nassr's loss to Al-Hilal in King's Cup final
Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears after Al-Nassr lost on penalties to Al-Hilal in the King's Cup final on Friday (May 31). The legendary Portuguese forward failed to convert a number of chances he had during the game, and he was left to rue the final result and end the season without a trophy.
Al-Hilal were the better side in Saudi Arabia throughout this campaign, as they secured the league title unbeaten, before winning the double. It was a hard-fought game that ended 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra time, with Hilal winning 5-4 on penalties.
Cristiano Ronaldo was inconsolable after watching Meshari Al-Nemer miss his penalty. The legendary forward lay on the turf in tears, before sitting on the sideline, where coaching staff tried to console him. The Real Madrid legend looked distraught, having missed out on winning any trophies despite his truly impressive personal campaign.
The Portugal legend scored a stunning 35 goals in just 31 Saudi Pro League games, beating the previous record of 34 goals in a league season. He also sweetened his quality in the final third with 11 assists, but these efforts were no match for an unbeaten Al-Hilal, who won the title with 96 points, 14 points more than Al-Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo's former coach hails Portuguese legend as "the standout one"
While Cristiano Ronaldo's season has ended in tears, it will not take away the prowess and ability of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. Now 39 and playing in the Saudi Pro League, he remains at the top of his game, and according to former Real Madrid assistant manager Paul Clement, this is due to his professionalism.
The 52-year-old spoke to TalkSPORT about Ronaldo, hailing him as the best player he ever worked with:
"I've worked with some great players across the different clubs, Chelsea, PSG, Bayern and obviously Real Madrid. And there's a group of players - I think the list is even too long to mention... But the standout one is Cristiano (Ronaldo)."
Clement further explained:
"Every game it was like you started with a 1-0 or 2-0 head-start. I mean, he was so consistent with his scoring. The first season he scored 51... 51! It used to be 25, 30 was good. And the second season he scored 60. And he'd done that the previous years under [Jose] Mourinho and he continued it as well.
"He was an amazing talent. People often ask did he work harder than anyone else. No, not necessarily but he managed his life, his profession better than anybody else. Some of the sacrifices he made, the rest, his understanding of diet and nutrition, the recovery - he did that better than anyone else. He really was so, so high level on the professional side."
Cristiano Ronaldo will be looking to return in full form next season and potentially win a trophy that has eluded him this time around. In the meantime, though, he will lead Portugal at the Euros.