Cristiano Ronaldo Watches His Club Beat Al Nassr in Awkward Friendly

Cristiano Ronaldo found himself in one of the strangest situations of his football career.

The Portuguese superstar watched from the stands as Almería, the Spanish club in which he owns a 25% stake, defeated his current club Al Nassr 2-0 in a pre-season friendly in Portugal.

It was a rare "win-win" scenario for Ronaldo.

If Al Nassr had won, it would have been good news for the club where he still plays.

Instead, Almería came away with the victory, which was also a positive result for the club he invested in earlier this year. Ronaldo completed the purchase of a 25% ownership stake in Almería through his company, CR7 Sports Investments, in February 2026.

Ronaldo did not feature in the match. Instead, he watched from the stands alongside Almería president Mohamed Al Khereiji as the Spanish side produced an impressive performance.

Daijiro Chirino opened the scoring after the break before Adrián Embarba added a second from the penalty spot to secure the victory for Almería. Brian Cipenga was one of the standout performers for the Spanish club.

The result should also be viewed in context.

Al Nassr travelled without many of their biggest stars. Several first-team players are still on holiday following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while others have only recently returned to pre-season training. Ronaldo himself has yet to rejoin full preparations after Portugal's World Cup campaign.

For Almería, however, the victory provides another confidence boost as they prepare for the new Segunda División season under García Pimienta.

For Ronaldo, it was an unusual afternoon.

He may have watched his own team lose, but he also saw one of his clubs celebrate victory.

Not many footballers can say that either way, they always leave the stadium smiling.