Al-Qadisiyah FC · 0 yrs
For his next trick, Martin O'Neill proposes to make a league and cup double appear right out of thin air. It first appeared at the end of October when, after successive domestic defeats to Dundee and Hearts, Brendan Rodgers resigned. With a swish of his wand, O'Neill swapped coffee shops on London's King's Road for six wins in a row domestically, including making Rangers disappear from the League Cup at the semi-final stage.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the 2025-26 SPL Player of the Season award, but is facing a fierce competition from Ivan Toney and his own teammate Joao Felix. Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the Player of the Season award in the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League after another standout campaign at Al Nassr. However, the Portuguese legend will face stiff competition from Al Ahli’s Ivan Toney and his own teammate Joao Felix in the race for the honor. On Sunday, the Saudi Pro League published its 2025-26 Season Awards nominees on its official website, with Ronaldo once again among those in the running for the top individual prize of the campaign. Alongside the Player of the Season, the other categories up for grabs include Saudi Player of the Season, Manager of the Season and Best Young Talent of the Season. Voting opened on Sunday, with the winners set to be revealed once the league season concludes. As with the previous edition, the voting breakdown has already been established. The head coaches and captains of all 18 SPL clubs will each account for 40 percent of the overall vote, the Kingdom’s leading sports journalists will contribute 15 percent, and fans of the league will make up the remaining 5 percent. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Roshn Saudi League (@spl_en) Ronaldo will have the chance to potentially clinch the SPL title when Al Nassr host Damac FC on Thursday, May 21, in what could be the day he ends the club’s long trophy drought. The following day, Friday, May 22, following the conclusion of the final matchweek, the award winners will be officially announced. Cristiano Ronaldo and the competition for SPL Player of the Season Since his arrival in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has consistently been one of the most impactful players in the league, and this season has been no different, with his performances at the heart of Al Nassr’s push for the title. On an individual level, the 41-year-old has posted 26 goals and three assists across 29 games, placing him among the leaders in direct goal contributions. The competition, however, is fierce. Al Ahli’s Ivan Toney currently leads the SPL scoring charts with 32 goals and six assists in 31 games, while Mexican international Julian Quiñones has registered 30 goals and four assists in 30 appearances for Al Qadsiah. Joao Felix, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr teammate, rounds out the standout candidates with 20 goals and 13 assists across 32 games, a combination of goalscoring and creativity that makes him a compelling contender. One potential advantage for the Al Nassr duo is the trend established by recent award winners. Karim Benzema claimed the Player of the Season in 2024-25 and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in 2023-24, with both Al Ittihad and Al Hilal producing those winners respectively. The pattern suggests that team success carries significant weight with voters, which could tip the balance in favor of players from a title-winning side. SPL Awards: categories and nominees Player of the Season Ivan Toney (Al Ahli)Julian Quiñones (Al Qadsiah)Ruben Neves (Al Hilal)Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)Joao Felix (Al Nassr) Best Young Talent of the Season Hammam Al Hammami (Al Shabab)Abdulaziz Al Elewa (Al Kholood)Abdulaziz Al Suwailem (Al Fateh)Sabri Dahal (Al Fayha)Sultan Harun (Al Riyadh) Manager of the Season Jorge Jesus (Al Nassr)Matthias Jaissle (Al Ahli)Brendan Rodgers (Al Qadsiah)Simone Inzaghi (Al Hilal)Saad Al Shehri (Al Ettifaq) Saudi Player of the Season Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal)Khalid Al Ghannam (Al Ettifaq)Musab Al Juwayr (Al Qadsiah)Abdulelah Al Amri (Al Nassr)Hattan Bahebri (Al Kholood)
It's fair to say it's been a turbulent Premiership campaign for league winners Celtic. Three managers, fan unrest, injuries, coupled with the meteoric rise of Hearts, all contributed to a remarkable season. The Glasgow club started the season with Brendan Rodgers at the helm, he took charge of nine games and won five of those before handing in his resignation following a defeat to Hearts in October.
Darren O'Dea believes Celtic are peaking at the perfect time as they attempt to reel in Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Celtic have turned to Martin O'Neill as interim manager twice this season after Brendan Rodgers and Wilfried Nancy left and the veteran Northern Irishman has navigated difficulties both on and off the pitch.
After the latest win over Al-Ahli, Al Nassr visit Al-Qadisiya, looking for a victory that brings them closer to the Saudi Pro League title. Given his major impact in front of goal, fans are closely watching Cristiano Ronaldo’s status for the match, as he is expected to be a difference-maker. Al Nassr have put together an impressive run of 16 consecutive victories, moving ever closer to the Saudi Pro League title. With this in mind, they visit Al-Qadisiya today, aiming to extend their strong streak with the attacking firepower that makes them the league’s top offensive team. To that end, fans are keeping a close eye on Cristiano Ronaldo’s status ahead of the game, as he is expected to be decisive. Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to avoid injuries and physical fatigue in recent matches, so he is in top condition. With this in mind, Al Nassr head coach Jorge Jesus will start him, as he is coming off a goal in the previous game and could do it again. Additionally, the Portuguese striker will be looking to close the gap on Julián Quiñones and Ivan Toney in the scoring charts. Coupled with the Portuguese veteran, Al Nassr will line up Joao Felix, aiming again for the imposing offensive duo that has dominated the league. After losing the last four encounters against Al-Qadisiya, they are set to impose their prowess, securing first place in the charts. For that reason, Iñigo Martinez and Mohamed Simakan will lead the defense again, looking to stop Julián Quiñones’ good form. While Al-Qadisiya are not competing to win the Saudi Pro League, they have been one of the league’s top teams. With their attacking firepower led by Julián Quiñones, they will look to defeat Al Nassr as they push to fight for third place in the standings. Additionally, they could take advantage of the large spaces left by head coach Jorge Jesus’s high press to secure a fifth consecutive victory. Cristiano Ronaldo of team Al Nassr FC after the Saudi Pro League game between Al Nassr and Al Ahli Al-Qadisiya lineup vs Al Nassr Al-Qadisiya enter the match against Al Nassr with four key absences: Waleed Al-Ahmad, Turki Al-Ammar, Mateo Retegui, and Julian Weigl due to injury. As a result, head coach Brendan Rodgers will expected to make significant changes to his starting lineup, as they have managed to shine offensively. However, they face the tough challenge of being consistent defensively, as Cristiano Ronaldo’s team is the best attacking side in the Saudi Pro League. Considering this, Al-Qadisiya will play as follows: Koen Casteels; Muhammad Abu al-Shamat, Jehad Thakri, Nacho Fernández, Gastón Álvarez; Musab Al-Juwayr, Nahitan Nández, Otavio, Christopher Bonsu Baah; Abdullah Al Salem, Julian Quiñones. Al Nassr lineup vs Al-Qadisiya Like Al-Qadisiya, Al Nassr enter today’s match with three absences: Raghid Alaa Najjar, Mubarak Buainain, and Sami Al-Najei. However, head coach Jorge Jesus still has his top players in peak condition, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix standing out the most. In addition, they have Kingsley Coman and Angelo, who can dominate with their pace. Despite this, they face the difficult task of stopping Julián Quiñones, who is in excellent goal-scoring form. With this in mind, Al Nassr will lineup as follows: Bento Krepski; Nawaf Boushal, Mohamed Simakan, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Iñigo Martinez; Marcelo Brozovic, Abdullah Alkhaibari; Kingsley Coman, Joao Felix, Angelo, Cristiano Ronaldo.