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Assessing Cristiano Ronaldo’s Start in Saudi Arabia

Assessing Cristiano Ronaldo’s Start in Saudi Arabia
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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.

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.

Professional League

Professional League
OVERALL TABLE PTS GP W D L +/-
1
Al Hilal Riyadh 90 32 29 3 0 75
2
Al Nassr Riyadh 78 32 25 3 4 56
3
Al Ahli Jeddah 61 32 18 7 7 31
4
Taawoun FC 55 32 15 10 7 15
5
Ittihad Jeddah 51 32 15 6 11 8
6
Ettifaq FC 45 32 11 12 9 9
7
Al Feiha 43 32 11 10 11 -7
8
Al Fateh (KSA) 42 32 11 9 12 2
9
Shabab Riyadh 41 32 11 8 13 3
10
Dhamak 40 32 10 10 12 2
11
Al Khaleej Club 37 32 9 10 13 -9
12
Al Raed Club 35 32 9 8 15 -8
13
Al Wahda Mecca 35 32 10 5 17 -14
14
Al Riyadh SC 31 32 7 10 15 -25
15
Al Ta'i 31 32 8 7 17 -26
16
Al Akhdood 29 32 8 5 19 -21
17
Abha Club 29 32 8 5 19 -49
18
Al Hazm 21 32 3 12 17 -42

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