Eyebrows were raised around the world when Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr FC on a two-and-half-year contract back in December.
The legendary forward parted company with Manchester United after falling out with the club, opening the door for a big-money move to the Middle East.
The Cristiano Ronaldo effect 🐐 pic.twitter.com/F6l8d5oFym— GOAL (@goal) February 21, 2023
The Cristiano Ronaldo effect 🐐 pic.twitter.com/F6l8d5oFym
So, how is Ronaldo faring at his new club? Join us as we look at the 38-year-old’s start in Saud Arabia.
Ronaldo made his debut for Al-Nassr on January 22, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 Pro League victory over Ettifaq FC.
He then featured for his new side in the Saudi Super Cup, although he was unable to prevent Al-Nassr suffering 3-1 defeat at the hands of Al-Ittihad Club.
It didn’t take Ronaldo long to open his account for Al-Nassr, however, as he found the back of the net in a 2-2 draw with Al-Fateh in his next appearance.
Despite scoring against Al-Fateh, Ronaldo truly announced himself to the Saudi Pro League by scoring all four goals in a 4-0 win against Al-Wehda FC in early February – producing a classic individual display to humiliate the opposition.
In his most recent appearance, CR7 registered two assists as Al-Nassr beat Al-Taawoun FC 2-1, firing his team to the summit of the Saudi Pro League table in the process.
It is worth noting, however, that second-placed Al-Ittihad and third-placed Al-Shabab FC have the same number of points as Al-Nassr, so Ronaldo’s side are not dominating the division.
All in all, Ronaldo has bagged five goals and two assists in five appearances for his new club, proving that he’s still got what it takes to score goals at a rapid rate, despite playing at a lower level.
The Portuguese megastar racked up 450 goals and 131 assists across 438 games for Real Madrid, in addition to 145 goals and 64 assists in 346 games for Manchester United, with 101 goals and 22 assists coming in 134 outings for Juventus.
Let’s not forget that Ronaldo is also the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football, having netted 118 goals in 196 matches for Portugal.
Although CR7 has left Europe for the Middle East, he is still one of the deadliest forwards on the planet, and his start at Al-Nassr proves that.
With more than 800 senior goals to his name, Ronaldo looks destined to enjoy success in Saudi Arabia, as well as on the international stage.