Latest chapter in the Ronaldo-Palacios feud: Al-Nassr crushed 4-0

The rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Matias Palacios is nothing new. A heated situation first arose between the two during an AFC Champions League match in November 2024. Now, a new chapter of that conflict has unfolded in the same competition, this time at Al Ain's home ground.

On the previous occasion, the two had grappled while vying for the ball during a corner kick. At one point, Ronaldo ended up on the ground and grabbed Palacios by the throat. Later, the Argentine midfielder complained to the referee that Ronaldo had struck him with an elbow. However, no foul was called against Ronaldo; instead, it was Palacios who received a yellow card. Ronaldo scored in that match, and Al-Nassr won 5–1.

This time, however, the scenario was completely different.

Al-Nassr suffers a 4–0 defeat

The two teams faced off in the AFC Champions League group stage at Al Ain's home stadium. Al-Nassr lost 4–0 to the hosts. This marks the heaviest defeat Ronaldo has experienced since joining the Saudi club.

With Al-Nassr trailing 2–0, Ronaldo was moving into the hosts' penalty area, anticipating a cross from the left flank. Palacios attempted to block him. During the ensuing physical tussle, the Al-Ain midfielder fell to the ground under pressure from Ronaldo's elbow; Ronaldo also went down. A verbal altercation then ensued between the two.

According to various media reports, Palacios later claimed he had simply reminded Ronaldo of his age, stating that he (Palacios) would reach the ball first. Tensions between the two escalated immediately after that remark.

Ronaldo fails to score

Ronaldo was unable to create many scoring opportunities during the match. He also failed to capitalize on a free-kick chance. He took only three shots throughout the entire game.

Consequently, no new goal was added to his career tally of 979 goals.

This is the first time Ronaldo has experienced such a heavy defeat with Al-Nassr since making his debut for the team in January 2023. Earlier, Manchester United's 4-0 defeat against Brentford in 2022 was also one of the major losses of his career.

Instances of even heavier defeats in his club career

However, the heaviest defeat of Ronaldo's club career was not limited to his time with Al-Nassr. According to data from Transfermarkt, he also suffered heavy defeats while playing for Manchester United and Real Madrid.

In 2021, Manchester United lost 5-0 to Liverpool in the Premier League. Prior to that, in 2010, Real Madrid had suffered a 5-0 defeat against Barcelona in La Liga.

Thus, on the night of the 4-0 loss to Al-Ain, Ronaldo not only failed to score but also witnessed the heaviest defeat of his tenure at Al-Nassr. The rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Matias Palacios is nothing new. A heated situation first arose between the two during an AFC Champions League match in November 2024. Now, a new chapter of that conflict unfolded at Al-Ain's home ground in the same competition.

On that previous occasion, the two had grappled while vying for the ball during a corner kick. At one point, Ronaldo grabbed Palacios by the throat after falling to the ground. Later, the Argentine midfielder complained to the referee that Ronaldo had struck him with an elbow. However, no foul was called against Ronaldo; instead, it was Palacios who received a yellow card. Ronaldo scored in that match, and Al-Nassr won 5-1.

This time, however, the scenario was completely different.

Al-Nassr suffer a 4-0 defeat

The two teams faced off at Al-Ain's home ground in the AFC Champions League group stage. Al-Nassr lost 4-0 to the hosts. This marks the heaviest defeat Ronaldo has suffered since joining the Saudi club.

During the match, with Al-Ain leading 2-0, Ronaldo was moving into the hosts' penalty area, anticipating a cross from the left flank. Palacios attempted to stop him at that moment. At one point during a physical tussle, the Al Ain midfielder fell to the ground under pressure from Ronaldo's elbow; Ronaldo also went down. An argument subsequently ensued between the two.

According to various media reports, Palacios later claimed he had simply reminded Ronaldo of his age, stating that he would reach the ball first—a remark that further escalated the tension between them.

Ronaldo fails to score

Ronaldo was unable to create many scoring opportunities during the match. He also failed to capitalize on a free-kick chance. In total, he took only three shots throughout the game.

Consequently, no new goal was added to his career tally of 979 goals.

This marked the first time Ronaldo experienced such a heavy defeat with Al-Nassr since making his debut for the club in January 2023. Previously, Manchester United's 4-0 loss to Brentford in 2022 had also been one of the major defeats of his career.

Instances of even heavier defeats in his club career

However, this was not the heaviest defeat of Ronaldo's club career. According to data from Transfermarkt, he has suffered even larger margin defeats while playing for Manchester United and Real Madrid.

In 2021, Manchester United lost 5-0 to Liverpool in the Premier League. Prior to that, in 2010, Real Madrid had suffered a 5-0 defeat against Barcelona in La Liga.

Thus, on the night of the 4-0 loss to Al Ain, Ronaldo not only remained goalless but also witnessed the heaviest defeat of his tenure at Al-Nassr.