Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed his first competitive goal for Al-Nassr on Friday as his late penalty rescued a point against Al Fateh. The Portuguese appeared on the scoresheet for the first time in his three games with the Saudi Arabian side, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will hope to show fans plenty more in the weeks to come.
Ronaldo raised eyebrows by signing a mega-money deal with Al-Nassr just before the turn of the year. The 37-year-old claimed that he had won all there was to win in Europe and looked forward to a new challenge after leaving Manchester United in controversial circumstances.
Saudi fans were given plenty to chew on midway through January when Paris Saint-Germain travelled to the Middle East to face an All-Star XI. Ronaldo scored twice but Lionel Messi’s PSG won the entertaining affair 5-4.
Ronaldo’s first three competitive matches haven’t been quite so positive. A narrow win over Ettifaq on his full debut was courtesy of team-mate Talisca, before he drew a blank in a 3-1 defeat to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final.
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In scoring against Al Fateh, Ronaldo notched the 499th league goal of his career and his first in the Middle East. His goalscoring exploits slowed down during the end of his stint at Old Trafford as he registered just one Premier League goal in 10 appearances earlier this term.
Al-Nassr fans had to wait patiently for Ronaldo to make his debut while he served a two-match ban, which carried over from his time with the Red Devils. His next outing will likely be the trip to Al-Wehda on February 9.
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