Eddie Howe has overseen some painful defeats this season, but none stung more than the meek derby losses against bitter rivals Sunderland. "They really hurt our season," the Newcastle United head coach said at his final pre-match news conference of the campaign. After being beaten 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in December, Newcastle suffered a 2-1 loss in the return fixture in March.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s success with Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League moved him closer to yet another record. This week, Cristiano Ronaldo finally ended his drought of official titles with Al Nassr by winning the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League title. The achievement also brought him closer to another milestone in his professional career. Ronaldo has now won league titles in four different countries, something not many players in soccer history have accomplished. However, that is still not enough to set a new record, as several stars have managed to win league championships in five different countries. The only league where CR7 played without winning the title was Portugal’s Primeira Liga. He spent just one season there, during the 2002-03 campaign, when Sporting CP finished third in the standings behind Porto and Benfica. In England, Ronaldo won the Premier League three consecutive times with Manchester United in 2007, 2008 and 2009. He later carried that success to Spain, winning two La Liga titles with Real Madrid in 2012 and 2017. Finally, with Juventus, he lifted Italy’s Serie A trophy in 2019 and 2020. Cristiano Ronaldo has now won league titles in 4️⃣ different countries 🏆🌍🇸🇦 #RoshnSaudiLeague 🆕 🏆Premier League🏆🏆🏆La Liga🏆🏆Serie A🏆🏆Serial winner. pic.twitter.com/umWa1JmdEV— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) May 22, 2026 Other players who won league titles in four different countries With the Saudi Pro League title, Cristiano Ronaldo joined an exclusive group of stars who have won league championships in four different countries. Unsurprisingly, most of those cases are relatively recent, considering that rules regarding the number of foreign players clubs can sign have become more flexible over the years. Arjen Robben won league titles in the Netherlands (PSV Eindhoven), England (Chelsea), Spain (Real Madrid) and Germany (Bayern Munich). Rivaldo achieved the feat in Brazil (Palmeiras), Spain (Barcelona), Greece (Olympiacos) and Uzbekistan (Bunyodkor). Deco also did it in Portugal (Porto), Spain (Barcelona), England (Chelsea) and Brazil (Fluminense). Other players to accomplish it include Mark van Bommel, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jiri Jarosik. The record of five different league titles At 41 years old, and with a contract at Al Nassr running through June 30, 2027, it is difficult to imagine Cristiano Ronaldo taking on a new challenge in another country. That makes a fifth different league title — which would tie the all-time record — highly unlikely. For now, only a select few players hold that mark. One of them is Joao Cancelo, who won league titles in Portugal (Benfica), Italy (Juventus), England (Manchester City), Germany (Bayern Munich) and Spain (Barcelona). Another active player with that record is Danilo, who achieved it in Brazil (Flamengo), Portugal (Porto), Spain (Real Madrid), Italy (Juventus) and England (Manchester City). Other examples include Robinho and Mateja Kezman.
