Ronaldo receives rapturous welcome from Al Nassr fans
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first few months at Al-Nassr have certainly been eventful. The Portugal international opted to move to Saudi Arabia shortly after Manchester United terminated his contract back in November, which came after he criticised Erik ten Hag in a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan. Yet while he’s been in typical goalscoring form, his arrival hasn’t been an unprecedented success so far…
Ronaldo made his first outing in the Middle East back in January, with the veteran starting for a Saudi All-Star side in a friendly match against Paris Saint-Germain.
And the two teams put on quite a show, with PSG running out 5-4 winners after a chaotic night of action.
Ronaldo netted twice for the Saudi XI but also received a punch to the face after colliding with former Real Madrid team-mate Keylor Navas.
And the blows would then keep coming.
Though Al-Nassr were able to beat Al-Ettifaq in his first game of the club, the veteran was unable to score.
And he couldn’t prevent their Saudi State Cup exit to Al-Ittihad last week, either.
Speaking after that game, Al-Nassr boss Rudi Garcia admitted there were some teething problems with Ronaldo following his move from United.
Cristiano Ronaldo is now playing for Al-Nassr after leaving Man Utd behind (Image: GETTY)
Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Cristiano Ronaldo fell out with Erik ten Hag before quitting Man Utd for Al-Nassr (Image: GETTY)
And there’s a sense that Garcia, like Ten Hag before him, is finding getting the best out of the United star to be a difficult task.
Ronaldo has also stolen the job of captain since rocking up to Saudi, too.
Abdullah Madu had previously been the skipper of the side but, ultimately, was unable to prevent a change of leadership at the club.
That makes Al-Nassr the first club Ronaldo has captained permanently during the course of his glittering career.
During his first spell at United he played under iconic captains such as Roy Keane and Gary Neville, while Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Nemanja Vidic also sported the armband on regular occasions. Vidic was made captain of the club after Ronaldo’s exit to Real in 2009.
While at the Bernabeu, Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos usually lead the team.
Trending
Cristiano Ronaldo became captain of Al-Nassr after leaving Man Utd (Image: GETTY)
During his time at Juventus, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci were usually preferred to wear the armband.
And after returning to United in 2021, Ronaldo found himself being captained by Harry Maguire.
Meanwhile, United midfielder Bruno Fernandes recently spoke about how Ten Hag ‘pulled apart’ Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho to improve the team.
“He demands from people. He demands and you either do it, or you’re out,” Fernandes explained.
“In the beginning everyone was like: ‘Will he do that if a big player doesn’t do what he wants? Will he pull him apart or not?’
“And then he did it many times, he did it with Cristiano, he did it with Jadon and with Marcus also.”
FREE £2 shop bet in WIlliam Hill shops with Saturday's Daily Express, valid on the Manchester United v Newcastle game. Don't miss your chance for a free flutter on the game everyone's talking about with your paper.