Cristiano Ronaldo made his return to club football on Friday, netting the opening goal in Al-Nassr’s 3-0 victory over Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League. The match marked his first appearance since a contentious international break with the Portuguese national team.
The win moves the defending champions to within a single point of league leaders Al-Qadsiah on goal difference after eight rounds of play.
The 41-year-old striker has been at the center of a dispute with Portugal manager Jorge Jesus. During the recent international window, Ronaldo walked out of training camp. In a statement released on Tuesday, he alleged that Jesus had broken a promise regarding his playing time in the Nations League. Ronaldo, who has scored 146 goals in 234 caps for Portugal, won the Saudi Arabia title last May under Jesus while coaching Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo opened the scoring midway through the first half. Kingsley Coman saw his long-range effort blocked by goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah, but the Portuguese star was on hand to pounce on the rebound from close range. The strike marked the 980th goal of his professional career.
Samu Costa doubled Al-Nassr’s lead just before halftime, and Coman secured the victory with a goal in the 77th minute. Al-Nassr was managed by former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou.
In other league action, top-side Al-Qadsiah crushed Al-Kholood 5-0. Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring, while Italy’s Mateo Retegui and Mexico’s Julian Quinones also found the back of the net.
I missed the details of this dispute, but walking out of training seems extreme. Can someone explain why he felt that was necessary?
Interesting how he scored under the same manager he’s feuding with. Does the club success make the national team drama seem petty?
980 goals at 41? The man is simply from another planet. Football history is being made every single week.