Cristiano Ronaldo guided 10-man Al-Nassr to their first ever Arab Club Champions Cup title after scoring twice in a 2-1 extra-time win over fellow Saudi side Al-Hilal on Saturday.

Links of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid, rumours of Neymar returning to Barcelona have been the commonalities of the transfer market over the past few years. This summer, however, in addition to the aforementioned sagas, the emergence of one major entity -- the Saudi Pro League -- has taken the transfer market by storm.

Cristiano Ronaldo slotted home from the spot in the final minutes to propel his Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr to their first-ever Arab Club Champions Cup final after a 1-0 win over Al Shorta in the semifinal at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Abha on Wednesday.

Bayern Munich's Senegal forward Sadio Mane has joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr after one season with the Bundesliga champions, both clubs said on Tuesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo was replaced at half-time as Al Nassr drew 1-1 with Champions League finalists Inter Milan in the second game of their pre-season tour in Japan on Thursday.

Paris Saint-Germain's Japan tour started with a whimper on Tuesday as they played out a 0-0 draw with Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr in Osaka.

 Brazilian full back Alex Telles has left Manchester United to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr on a contract until 2025, the two clubs announced on Sunday.

Brozovic, 30, joined Inter in 2015 and helped them win Serie A in the 2020-21 season followed by two Italian Cup trophies.

World Cup-winning French midfielder N'Golo Kante has signed a three-year deal with Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad, a club source told AFP on Wednesday, a day after Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema also joined the team.

PSG will take on Saudi side Al Nassr in Osaka on July 25 and J-League club Cerezo Osaka three days later.

The Portuguese forward decided not to sit on the bench for the frustrating end to his first season in Saudi Arabia after joining Al-Nassr in January on a contract estimated by the media to be worth more than 200 million euros ($213.5 million)

"Step-by-step I think this league will be among the top five leagues in the world but they need time, players and infrastructure," said Ronaldo

Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulayhi joked he is afraid Lionel Messi will ask for his departure if the Argentine forward joins the Saudi club, after an argument with him during a World Cup match last year.

Al-Hilal president Fahd Bin Nafel refused to comment on the possibility of signing Lionel Messi, insisting his Saudi Arabian side is "more important than just one player", as fans clamour for the World Cup winner.

Al Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo was gifted a custom-made watch as he attended the Jacob & Co boutique launch in Saudi Arabia.

Portuguese striker Ronaldo thought he had given his team the lead in the 58th minute only for the referee to cancel the goal for offside

Brazilian legend Rivaldo suspects that Cristiano Ronaldo was “fooled by the big contract in Saudi Arabia” and advises the Portuguese megastar to “return to Real Madrid to finish his career”.

Cristiano Ronaldo brought out the fierce competitor in him on Tuesday but his efforts were in vain as Al-Nassr failed to score in two consecutive fixtures in the Saudi Pro League and suffered a 2-0 defeat away at Al-Hilal.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi club Al-Nassr fired coach Rudi Garcia on Thursday after less than a year in charge following media reports of dressing room tensions and just days before a crucial game against champions Al-Hilal.

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