Former Saudi Arabian striker Nasser Al-Shamrani called out Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo for scolding his teammate Joao Felix for dropping back to support his goalkeeper.
Ronaldo, 41, is into his fourth full season with the Knights of Najd, whom he joined in December 2022 on a free transfer after more than two decades in European football with the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
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The Portugal captain made a goalscoring season debut for the Knights in their 4-0 Saudi Pro League win at Al-Riyadh last weekend. Coming on in the second period, Ronaldo scored his team’s fourth goal seven minutes from time, adding to earlier strikes from Abdulelah Al-Amri, Angelo Gabriel and Felix.
However, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has attracted criticism for his seeming reluctance to drop back to help his goalkeeper, with Al-Shamrani remarking (as per NFC1 World, as translated from Portuguese):
“The difference between Felix and Cristiano .. Felix went to support the goalkeeper and Cristiano scolded him.”
Ronaldo made his first start of the season on Monday (August 24) as 10-man Al-Nassr scored thrice in the last 16 minutes to win 3-2 at Al-Ettifaq.
Following Bento’s 12th-minute dismissal for the Knights, Ondrej Duda and Alvaro Medran gave Al-Ettifaq a two-goal advantage at half-time before Sadio Mane pulled one back.
Three minutes later, Ronaldo and Co. were back on level terms, thanks to Abdulelah Al-Amri, before Mane scored the winner in stoppage time as new boss Ange Postecoglou continued his perfect start to the season.
What’s next for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr?
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have had a superb start to the season. Ange Postecoglou’s side opened their Saudi Pro League title defence with a 3-0 home win over Al-Fateh, with Ronaldo not featuring.
The 41-year-old also didn’t play the 4-1 King’s Cup Round of 32 victory at Diriyah before making his season debut by scoring in the aforementioned 4-0 win at Al-Riyadh last week.
The Knights of Najd made it three wins out of three in the league with their come-from-behind victory over Al-Ettifaq. They next take on Al-Taawoun at home in the Saudi Pro League on Friday (August 28), hoping to maintain their two-point lead atop the fledgeling standings.
Edited by Bhargav