After much fanfare, Cristiano Ronaldo finally made his competitive debut for Al Nassr in their Saudi Pro League clash against Ettifaq FC on Sunday, three weeks after signing for the club.
The 37-year-old forward penned one of the biggest contracts in the history of the sport at the end of last month.
He will reportedly earn a whopping £173 million a year at league leaders Al Nassr, with £111 million of that amount coming from commercial deals and image rights.
Ronaldo's debut, meanwhile, was delayed due to a two-match worldwide ban issued by the FA for misconduct.
Back in April, after Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park, he slapped a phone from the hand of a 14-year-old boy. He was suspended for two matches and fined £50,000.
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But after a lengthy wait, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner finally made his first outing for Al Nassr in their 1-0 win over midtable opponents Ettifaq.
Ronaldo, who was made captain by manager Rudi Garcia for Sunday's clash, played the full 90 minutes at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh as Brazilian midfielder Talisca scored the winner.
Soon after the final whistle, Ronaldo's highlights emerged on social media, although one fan account decided to include some of his more unfortunate moments.
Ronaldo, who put on a show for the Riyadh Season Team when they came up against Lionel Messi and PSG last week, didn't have the best of games in what was a competitive and physical clash.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Ettifaq FC, Al Nassr debut pic.twitter.com/un2pvJlQVM
— Sosa (Not associated with Borna Sosa) (@xDMCAbreachP90) January 22, 2023
That being said, a three-minute compilation of his debut was uploaded to YouTube shortly after and that shows a slightly different side to the story.
You can watch that clip below.
After the full-time whistle, Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia praised Ronaldo for his influence on the team.
"It's a positive addition when you have a player like Ronaldo as he helps to distract the defenders, which is what happened with our goal," Garcia told reporters.
"Today we created opportunities for him and asked the players to diversify the game between him and Talisca, and we must not forget that he participated in the (exhibition match against) Paris St Germain and did not get enough rest.
"Even with the presence of Ronaldo, it is not easy to win the Saudi League because of the strength of the competitors."
Al Nassr's win over Ettifaq sees them top the Saudi Pro League table with 33 points from 14 matches.
At the age of thirty-seven, as if he is
— Fahad Alotaibi (@FahadAlhero) January 22, 2023
twenty years old, here you really know
that he is legendary 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/wSVxAsilw2
Thoughts on Ronaldo's debut outing for Al Nassr?
Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/SVMM - Twitter/@xDMCAbreachP90
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr
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