Cristiano Ronaldo FINALLY makes his Al-Nassr debut after serving a two-game ban from his Man United days following a £175million-a-year move, with Anderson scoring the only goal in the win over Talisca Ettifaq scored
- Cristiano Ronaldo made his belated Al-Nassr debut in the 1-0 win over Ettifaq
- Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr last month on a £175million-a-year contract
- Brazilian Anderson Talisca scored the only goal in the Saudi Pro League game
Cristiano Ronaldo’s competitive debut for Al-Nassr ended in victory but no goals for the Portuguese as his new side beat Ettifaq 1-0 in the Saudi Pro League.
The 37-year-old joined Al-Nassr last month on a £175million-a-year deal until 2025.
That comes after the former Juventus and Real Madrid striker’s existing contract with Manchester United was terminated following a high-profile interview in which he criticized the club and officials.
Cristiano Ronaldo made his long-awaited Al Nassr debut in a 1-0 win against Al Ettifaq in Riyadh
Ronaldo’s teammate Anderson Talisca scored the only goal of the Saudi Pro League game
Ronaldo, who scored twice for a Riyadh All Stars team in a 4-5 loss to Lionel Messi’s Paris St Germain in the Saudi capital on Thursday, played the full 90 minutes for the league leaders against Ettifaq on Sunday but did not make a meaningful contribution.
Brazilian Anderson Talisca, a former Benfica striker, scored the only goal of the game after half an hour.
The win keeps Al-Nassr a point ahead of Al Hilal at the top of the table after playing 14 games, one fewer than their nearest challengers.
Ronaldo was in the starting XI for Al-Nassr for the first time following his impressive display
The 37-year-old forward failed to score in his first game for his new club
Ronaldo has been forced to wait for his debut since he was given a two-game ban by the FA last year after smashing the phone of an Everton fan.
As a result, Ronaldo missed Al-Nassr’s 2-0 win over Al-Tai and 0-0 draw against Al-Shabab.
Al-Nassr also had to make room in his squad To the Portuguese superstar.
Vincent Aboubakar’s contract was terminated by the Saudi Arabian club to make way for Ronaldo. The Cameroonian striker has since moved to Turkish club Besiktas.
The decision was made due to Saudi League rules, which stipulate that clubs can only register up to eight foreign players per squad.
Ronaldo has had to wait for his debut due to a two-game suspension from the FA
Ronaldo has received a warm welcome from football fans since his arrival in Saudi Arabia
Ronaldo had joined Al-Nassr after a difficult couple of months, including the striker’s controversial departure from Manchester United.
The 37-year-old had given Piers Morgan a bombshell interview in which he targeted various aspects of the club.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and owners the Glazers faced criticism from Ronaldo which led to his departure.
Ronaldo was later benched for Portugal’s two knockout games at the World Cup in Qatar.
The striker is said to have fallen out with then national team boss Fernando Santos.
