Cristiano Ronaldo marked his competitive debut for Al-Nassr with a victory, as his new side emerged 1-0 winners over Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.
Brazilian midfielder Anderson Talisca scored the only goal of the game, with Ronaldo captaining the side throughout the 90 minutes. The 37-year-old had been made to wait for his maiden appearance, after being slapped with a two-match ban by the English FA for an incident against Everton when playing for Manchester United last year.
With Al-Nassr returning to the top of the table following the win, the former United forward was bright throughout and was seemingly happy to be back on the football pitch, after a nightmare end to his time at Old Trafford.
READ MORE: How to follow Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr debut plus TV highlights and kick-off time vs Al-Ettifaq
A trademark Ronaldo moment came during the second half when the Portugal forward cut back onto his left foot before crossing, leaving a defender on the floor. There was however to be no goal-scoring start to his career with Al-Nassr.
22,862 were in attendance to see his first start for the club. Having been given his trademark no.7 shirt from the get-go, shirt sales are said to be booming and it is no surprise that so many supporters were keen to see the six-time Ballon D'Or winner in action.
Taking to social media following the victory, the 37-year-old was keen to praise his team's output. Ronaldo wrote: ''First game, first win - well done guys. Thanks to all the fans for incredible support.''
With team-mate Talisca already netting 12 goals in 13 appearances for Al-Nassr this season, it seems Ronaldo will already have a more than capable goal-scoring partner. Ronaldo was seen embracing the former Benfica and Besiktas player after his goal and the partnership will make Al-Nassr difficult to stop for the remainder of the season.
Speaking at his unveiling, Ronaldo said: “I'm a unique player, I beat all the records there [Europe], so I want to beat a few here. I won everything, I played at the most important clubs and for me now it is a new challenge in Asia.”
He captained a Saudi All-Star side against PSG last week, coming up against the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Ronaldo scored twice but PSG won the friendly match 5-4.
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