At the beginning of the year it was clear: Cristiano Ronaldo would move to the desert. The Portuguese superstar signed a gigantic contract with Al Nassr. However, the fans of the Saudi club had to wait until Sunday to see the team’s new captain in a competitive match.
In the game between Al Nassr and Al Ittifaq, Ronaldo was not the only player on the field who was able to celebrate his greatest successes in Europe. Anderson Talisca acted alongside CR7, while Marcel Tisserand and Robin Quaison, two well-known faces from the Bundesliga, played in the opposing team.
Ronaldo as target player
Al Nassr’s game was clearly focused on Ronaldo. With almost every attack, an attempt was made to stage the 196-time national player. The flanks and passes of the players did not want to find the goal scorer. Ronaldo narrowly missed a cross from Abdulmajeed Al Sulaiheem in the 31st minute, but Talisca was able to take advantage of this and head in directly behind the 37-year-old to make it 1-0.
But Ronaldo also offered himself in the combination game and collected ball contacts. A free kick after a little more than half an hour shot the former set artist well over the gable. Contrary to expectations, Ronaldo did not get man marking and therefore had the opportunity to dribble and pick up the pace from time to time.
The superstar did not have to deal with defensive tasks. Ronaldo was only found in his own half of the game before the game kicked off. After that, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner saved his energies for efforts in attack, but these failed to bear fruit.
Positive body language
After the negative headlines that Ronaldo wrote in recent weeks and months, he was in a strikingly positive mood when debuting for Al Nassr. Always smiling, Ronaldo tried to help his teammates. Despite the lack of big chances, the attacker didn’t show himself annoyed or quarreling, but with positive gestures towards teammates as a driving captain.
After an hour, Ronaldo had to sprint down the wing and proved that he hasn’t completely lost his liveliness even in old age. His cross in the back to Gonzalo Martinez was exemplary, but the Argentine’s shot on goal was parried by the opposing keeper.
Ronaldo then set a small highlight in the 80th minute. In the penalty area, the Portuguese Saeed Al Mowalad dribbled and even sat on the seat of his pants. In basketball, this action would probably be called an ankle breaker. There was applause from the audience, even when the following cross was cleared by a defender. But it should stay with the small show insert. Ronaldo remained goalless until the final whistle.
