Nevertheless, victory to start
Ronaldo fails to score in debut for Al-Nassr
1/22/2023 9:02 p.m
Victory for the debut, immediately captain – but no goal: The former world footballer Cristiano Ronaldo experienced a less than perfect evening on his competitive debut for the Saudi Arabian title contender Al-Nassr.
Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has made a successful debut in Al-Nassr shirt. The 37-year-old Portuguese led his new club to a 1-0 (1-0) win over Al-Ettifaq. This keeps Al-Nassr at the top of the table in Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo was not granted a goal in his first competitive game. Although the 37-year-old Portuguese wore himself out in the center of attack, the superstar did not create any great chances against defenders such as 20-year-old Saad Al Mousa or ex-Wolfsburg player Marcel Tisserand. Ronaldo’s Brazilian team-mate Anderson Talisca (31′) scored the only goal of the game which sent Al-Nassr back to the top of the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo switched to Al-Nassr in the winter, where he signed a contract for two and a half years. According to media reports, including advertising revenue, he should get the equivalent of around 200 million euros per season.
After serving a ban from England in the first two league games, Ronaldo made his debut last Thursday in a friendly between Ronaldo’s club and rivals Al-Hilal against French champions Paris Saint-Germain. Despite two goals from the Portuguese, PSG won 5: 4 with world champion Lionel Messi.
“I’ve had many opportunities, received offers from many clubs in Europe, Brazil, Australia and the United States, but I chose this club,” CR7 said at its launch in Riyadh in early January. In Europe, where Ronaldo has won consecutive titles with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus for almost two decades, his “job is done”, he said: “I’ve won everything, I’ve played for the biggest clubs. Now I have a new mission in Asia.”