A few months ago, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was wearing Manchester United’s jersey and training for the 2022 World Cup with Portugal. But, despite an unhappy leave from Old Trafford and a below-par international season in Qatar, Cristiano Ronaldo has been formally launched by Al-Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo in Al-Nassr training session
On Tuesday, the Saudi Arabian club unveiled their new superstar signing in front of 25,000 rowdy supporters at Mrsool Park. Cristiano Ronaldo was greeted warmly on the field, and he quickly went to work in his first training session with the team. The 37-year-old will make his Al-Nassr debut on Thursday when the current table-toppers face Al-Tai at home. And, based on video from his first training session, Cristiano Ronaldo may light up the game if manager Rudi Garcia gives him the opportunity.
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Ronaldo is seen weaving some magic in a shooting practise with Anderson Talisca, who you may remember from his time at Benfica, in footage recorded from the stands by The National’s John McAuley. Talisca failed to capitalise on his opportunity, but Ronaldo did not. No goalkeeper in the globe would have gotten a hand to the Real Madrid legend’s thunderous finish from inside the box with his ‘weaker’ left peg. Yes, Ronaldo still has it, and you have a feeling he’ll score plenty of goals in Saudi Arabia.
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The fortunate supporters inside Mrsool Park on Tuesday went berserk every time Cristiano Ronaldo touched the ball at the start of the training session. And it’s virtually inevitable that he’ll do the same when he makes his formal debut for the club.
You may be wondering, after witnessing Ronaldo in action for the first time with Al-Nassr, whether he can win the Saudi Professional League’s Golden Boot this season. Given that the great man has just joined the campaign halfway through, it may be a tough assignment – even for him. Talisca now leads the pace for Al-Nassr with nine goals in ten games, while Odion Ighalo of Al-Hilal has eight from twelve. However, nothing can be ruled out when it comes to Ronaldo’s scoring feats.
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