Is life better without the GOAT? Al-Nassr's dominant win vs Jeddah fuels Cristiano Ronaldo debate

In a performance that has ignited social media and divided the fanbase, Al-Nassr secured a resounding 4-0 victory over Jeddah in the King’s Cup on Tuesday night, with talisman Cristiano Ronaldo watching from the substitutes' bench as an unused substitute.

The dominant win, featuring four different goal scorers, has sparked a fiery debate among fans: is Al-Nassr a more cohesive and fluid team without the legendary Portuguese star?

The decisive win saw Al-Nassr sail into the Round of 16 of the Saudi King’s Cup, but the conversation was less about the result and more about the performance.

The team's goals came from an own goal and strikes by Wesley, Mohamed Simakan, and an impressive cameo from Joao Felix, who bagged a goal and an assist in just 11 minutes.

This comprehensive display of collective strength, with contributions from across the squad, stood in stark contrast to the team's often 'Ronaldo-centric' approach in the past.

Online, the reaction was swift and polarised. Fans flooded social media with comments questioning Ronaldo's influence on the team's dynamics. “No Ronaldo, better without him,” read one fan's comment, while another lamented, “Penaldo getting carried once again.”

The criticism, however, was not universal. Loyal supporters defended their star, with one fan asking, “Why didn't Ronaldo play? How are we going to reach 1000 career goals??” while another added “Cristiano Ronaldo - Forever our inspiration.”

The conflicting views show the central dilemma for Al-Nassr: how to balance the team's collective good with the immense individual presence of arguably the greatest player of all time, who recently shared a moment with Nigerian skipper William Troost-Ekong.

While Ronaldo's star power and goal-scoring legend are undeniable, the match against Jeddah showed a team that was able to move the ball with speed and freedom, with players not constantly looking for the final pass to their superstar forward.

This unchained performance offers a glimpse of an alternative future for Al-Nassr, one where the goal-scoring burden is distributed more evenly and the team's fluid attack is unpredictable for opposing defenses.

As Al-Nassr prepare for their next fixture, the debate over Ronaldo's role will continue to rage, but for one night at least, Al-Nassr showed the footballing world that they can thrive just fine in the absence of the GOAT.