Cristiano Ronaldo scored four times to move past the 500 career league goal mark as Al Nassr beat Al Wehda 4-0 in the Saudi Pro League.
The Portugal forward, who turned 38 on Sunday, struck in a 40-minute period either side of the break.
He has now scored 503 league goals for five different clubs in five different leagues.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner joined Al Nassr in December, reportedly on a salary of £177m per year.
However, he did not enjoy the most prolific of starts with his new employers, managing one goal from the penalty spot in his first three competitive appearances for the club.
Ronaldo left Manchester United in November, having scored 103 league goals across two spells at the club.
He scored 311 times in La Liga for Real Madrid, registered 81 goals in Serie A for Juventus and managed three in the Portuguese top flight for his first professional club, Sporting Lisbon.
Ronaldo’s four goals ensured Al Nassr returned to the top of the table on goal difference and with a game in hand on second-placed Al Shabab.
Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo, on Thursday, scored twice in his first non-international match (Saudi debut) despite being punched in the head by a former team-mate, Keylor Navas.
Grimacing in pain from his bruised cheekbone after about 30 minutes in Riyadh, Ronaldo steadied himself before scoring from the penalty spot for his first goal in Saudi Arabia against a Paris Saint-Germain team featuring old foe Lionel Messi.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry has been among the greatest ever.
Messi scored just three minutes into the exhibition game when Ronaldo was flattened boxing-match style by PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas after about 30 minutes in Riyadh.
It was not Anthony Joshua but Navas who caught Ronaldo flush in the face with his forearm under a high ball.
Both went down like felled boxers.
Ronaldo held his head, got back up, did a wide yawn as if to test his sore left cheek, and sent his former Real Madrid teammate Navas the wrong way.
Cristiano Ronaldo fired in a penalty for his first goal
By the end of the first half Ronaldo’s cheekbone was bright apple red but he was all smiles after netting his second goal, smashing in a rebound when his header came back off the post. Poking his tongue out, Ronaldo wheeled away in delight and was mobbed by teammates at the corner flag.
When PSG star Kylian Mbappé checked on the state of Ronaldo’s cheek just before the second half, Ronaldo milked the attention from France’s World Cup star and pointed to the red mark.
Mbappé smiled at him as if to say “You’ll be fine” and Ronaldo raised his arm in triumph like a heavyweight champion.
Messi’s Qatari-backed PSG won 5-4 against a combined XI of Saudi Arabian teams Al Nassr and Al Hilal, captained by Al Nassr’s new signing Ronaldo, in front of 68,000 fans at King Fahd International Stadium. Although his team lost, Ronaldo edged perhaps the final installment of Ronaldo vs. Messi as one of the greatest rivalries in soccer history resumed in an unusual location.
Messi’s shot led to a handball and PSG’s fourth goal, scored by Mbappé from the penalty spot.
Ronaldo came off to a huge ovation just after the hour mark followed by Mbappé and Argentina’s World Cup-winning star Messi, who was warmly hugged by countryman Marcelo Gallardo, coaching the combined Saudi Arabian team.
Ronaldo’s bruise darkened with the night sky as he collected his man of the match award.
He was locked in conversation with ex-Madrid teammates Sergio Ramos and Navas before the medal ceremony. Then he spoke to Portugal teammates Renato Sanches and Danilo, who play for PSG.
But Ronaldo was nowhere near Messi, almost like they avoided each other. They could not do that earlier on the field, when Ronaldo tackled Messi in the second minute.
Moments later, Messi smiled as he scored from Neymar’s lofted pass. Ronaldo looked annoyed with his teammates for letting Messi ghost into space. Harsh, because few defenders have ever tracked Messi’s runs, let alone stopped them. The World Cup proved that if it was ever in doubt.
There was scant interaction between former Madrid star Ronaldo and Messi, his arch-rival during Barcelona’s glory days.
It was Ronaldo who tentatively approached an impassive-looking Messi at the center circle seconds before the whistle blew to start perhaps their final game as opponents.
There was a polite exchange, the briefest handshake.
Messi stared at Ronaldo late in the first half, after PSG defender Juan Bernat had been sent off, and Ronaldo seemed to look away from Messi.
It was a different mood in the tunnel beforehand, when a grinning Ronaldo hugged Ramos, who now plays alongside Messi, and joked with Ramos that he’d forgotten to remove an ear stud.
The laugh was on Ramos later, when he air-kicked a loose ball on Ronaldo’s second goal. PSG’s Neymar also missed, from the penalty spot.
The atmosphere built before the start as fans waved Argentina flags while others held up the yellow jersey of Al Nassr, pointing proudly to Ronaldo’s No. 7 on the back. The ticker tape poured from the stands as Ronaldo led his team out. He smiled and winked when he got a loud ovation.
Ronaldo made it a brace after firing in a rebound
Ronaldo could end his storied career in Riyadh after signing a deal worth a reported $200 million a year, swapping Europe’s elite club competition for the Asian Champions League.
He makes his Saudi league debut for Al Nassr on Sunday against Ettifaq, far from the fields where he shone for Manchester United and Madrid.
The rivalry between football greatest, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will unfold today in an exhibition match that will hold in Riyadh Saudi Arabia.
The match will be Portugal’s forward first match in the colours of new club Al Nassr FC of Saudi Arabia.
The last time both players faced each other was when they featured for La Liga club sides Real Madrid and Barcelona FC.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has been handed Al Nassr’s captain armband in his first game for the club side.
After a glittering career in Europe that Ronaldo win four Champions League titles with Real Madrid and two Scudettos at Juventus, Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr, describing it as the “right moment” to share his experience in Asia.
The Saudi club is the latest stop in Ronaldo’s career that began in 2002 at Sporting CP before the forward spent two spells at Manchester United, the last of which ended on a bitter note as he exited following his acrimonious split with the club.
Ronaldo and Messi, who have dominated football’s debate about the greatest of all time (GOAT) for the best part of 10 years, will face off on the pitch on Thursday for the first time since December 2020 when Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0.
Ronaldo will lead Riyadh ST XI, a team made up of players from Al Hilal and Al Nassr, against Messi’s Paris St Germain in the exhibition contest where nothing is at stake, but fans are still excited by the prospect of watching the two stars clash.
The highly anticipated showdown, which will take place at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, reportedly had more than two million online ticket requests.
The bidding for a VIP “Beyond Imagination” ticket to the match has already topped 10 million riyals ($2.66 million) in an auction that is set to end later on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Al Nassr has claimed its first victim as Cameroonian international Vincent Aboubakar has reportedly had his contract terminated, According to Marca.
The rules on player registration in Saudi Arabia are strict as clubs can only have eight foreign players. Thus, Aboubakar is back on the transfer market and rumours are already flying.
Aboubakar was the best player for Cameroon in the 2022 World Cup and there will be no shortage of offers for him.
In Qatar he scored and assisted in the draw against Serbia (3-3) and was decisive with the winning goal against Brazil, even though the Africans were eliminated.
He also entered world cup folklore as he was sent off for his celebrations after scoring the winner against Brazil.
At Al Nassr, the Cameroonian played 12 league and cup games in which he scored four goals and provided two assists.
In total, the 30-year-old scored 13 goals in 39 games for Al Nassr, having previously played for Porto, Besiktas, Lorient, and Valenciennes.
A few days ago, with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, a video was released showing the Portuguese greeting the Cameroonian and talking to him. However, they will not be able to feature together at Al Nassr.
In Turkey, where Aboubakar already played for Besiktas, they report that he could join Fenerbahce. However, some in the English press think he could end up at Manchester United.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed dropping Cristiano Ronaldo was a “risk”.
However, he says the decision was to create a winning attitude and a winning culture.
Ronaldo eventually was released and signed for Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr last week.
“Maybe it was a risk but if you want to develop something, if you want to create a winning attitude and winning culture, you have to go this way,” said Ten Hag.
“Everyone will do it their own way. But if you allow them to be ill-disciplined, if you don’t match the standards, values and rules we set together as a team and as staff —and if you don’t have that togetherness in the dressing room — then it will come back and it will blow up in your face.
“‘On the pitch that will happen if you do not have the discipline needed to win games. It’s about big responsibility, so you have to go that way.”
Cristiano Ronaldo says his work in Europe is done, but he had “many opportunities” from other clubs before joining Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.
He joined Al Nassr as a free agent on Friday after leaving Manchester United following a controversial interview in which he criticised the club.
The Portugal captain, 37, said he had offers from clubs in Brazil, Australia, the United States, and Portugal.
“I gave my word for this club,” he said at his unveiling on Tuesday.
“I won everything, I played for the most important clubs in Europe and now it is a new challenge in Asia.”
Ronaldo is reportedly set to receive the biggest football salary in history t more than £177m per year in a deal that runs until 2025.
“As nobody knows, I can say now I had many opportunities in Europe, many clubs in Brazil, Australia, the US, even in Portugal, many clubs tried to sign me,” Ronaldo told reporters at his first media conference.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was greeted with applause and shouts of his trademark ‘Siu’ celebration as he spoke. He answered questions from a club official but took none from reporters.
Speaking about his contract with the nine-time Saudi Pro League champions, Ronaldo said: “This contract is unique but I’m a unique player, so for me it’s normal.
“I know the league is very competitive, I saw many games. I hope to play after [Wednesday] if the coach thinks there’s a chance. I’m ready to keep playing football.”
Al Nassr head coach Rudi Garcia said signing Ronaldo was “fantastic” for Saudi Arabia.
“In my life, I’ve seen that great players like Cristiano are the simplest to manage, because there’s nothing I can teach him,” the Frenchman said.
“My goal, my objective for Cristiano is to make him happy. I want him to enjoy playing with Al Nassr and winning with Al Nassr.”
Following the media conference he posed in his new Al Nassr kit on the club’s pitch in front of thousands of fans.
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo has a release clause in his Al Nassr deal allowing him to join Newcastle United.
Marca says Ronaldo’s Al Nassr contract has a clause in it that would allow him to join Eddie Howe’s Newcastle on loan if they qualify for the Champions League.
This is because of the Middle Eastern link – with the North East outfit owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
Newcastle became the richest club in the world following their £300m takeover in 2021.
And it means they are now able to afford a player with the star power of former Manchester United striker Ronaldo.
But along with the financial incentive, Newcastle may also be able to offer Champions League football given their superb form domestically so far this season.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said he doesn’t feel Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman was asked about the void left by Ronaldo after victory over Nottingham Forest last night.
“I see a hungry team,” he replied.
“I do not look back but only to the future. Ronaldo has chosen to leave us, now he is no longer part of the group.”
United completed a fourth successive victory in all competitions and underlined the theory that the exit of Ronaldo will not have a negative effect on the remainder of their season.
Juventus midfielder, Paul Pogba has shared his experience with Cristiano Ronaldo during their time together at Manchester United.
The Frenchman and the Portuguese have had two stints with the Red Devils and have represented Juventus during the course of their careers.
But the France international only shared the pitch with Ronaldo last season and has a lot to say about the former Real Madrid man’s attitude to the game.
“The discipline of Ronaldo was unbelievable – I’ve never seen this. The discipline is on another level,” Pogba told
Field of Sports.
“Someone that’s been there every single day and doesn’t stop – that’s Cristiano.
“Every day! Some days you’re like, I’m ok! But he doesn’t miss one day. His discipline to do it every single day – this is something.”
It was a different mood in the tunnel beforehand, when a grinning Ronaldo hugged Ramos, who now plays alongside Messi, and joked with Ramos that he’d forgotten to remove an ear stud.
