The repercussions of the huge Riyadh derby between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr continue to stir controversy in Saudi sports circles.
Al-Nassr achieved a valuable victory over its host, Al-Hilal, with a score of (3-1) at the "Kingdom Arena" stadium in the capital, Riyadh, last Friday evening, in the 26th round of the Saudi Roshen Professional League for the 2024-2025 season.
The derby featured a remarkable performance from Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr's striker, who scored a brace against Al-Hilal to lead his team to victory. Amid ongoing discussions about the match, sports journalist Adel Al-Malham described Al-Nassr's victory as "deserved."
On his official account on the "X" platform, Al-Malham said last Monday evening: "Al-Nassr won because it was the best in everything, and this is the opinion of a rational person, regardless of their affiliation." He added: "As for the irrational ones - and there are many - they ignored the reasons for Al-Hilal's loss, and said that Ronaldo has not won a single championship with Al-Nassr yet!"
In his remarks, Al-Malham raised a question about the King Salman Cup for Arab Clubs, which Ronaldo won with Al-Nassr at the start of the 2023-24 season. He pointed out that Al-Hilal fans consider this championship unofficial and, therefore, should not be counted among the team's achievements.
Al-Malham continued, addressing Al-Hilal supporters: "So how many championships does your club have to its credit?!" He explained that Al-Hilal and its supporters confirm that the club has won 70 championships in its history, including four titles in Arab competitions.
Al-Malham suggested removing these four championships from Al-Hilal's record, bringing its total to 66, based on the same principle that some use to remove the King Salman Cup from Al-Nassr's record.
Al-Malham concluded his post by saying: "Sit down and agree, Does Al-Hilal have 70 championships or only 66?!"
Despite not winning any official trophies yet, Ronaldo has been posting impressive numbers with Al-Nassr, scoring 88 goals and providing 19 assists in 98 official matches for the first football team across various competitions.
He was also crowned the top scorer in the 2023-24 Saudi Professional League with 35 goals, a record for a single season, and won the King Salman Club Cup, despite some officials considering it an unofficial tournament.