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After scoring twice in his debut game in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo acknowledges his happiness to be back.
Cristiano Ronaldo was delighted to be back after making his first appearance since his sensational move to Saudi Arabia, where the country’s All-Stars squad lost a friendly 5-4 to PSG.
In a mid-season friendly against the French champions, who took a break from their Ligue 1 campaign to come to the Middle East, the 37-year-old faced his fierce adversary Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo, who left Manchester United peacefully and signed a record-breaking contract with Al-Nassr worth £173 million annually, made an impression by winning man of the match and scoring twice.
Since then, Ronaldo has used social media to express his happiness at returning to the field of play for the first time since his high-profile transfer.
Along with some action images from the game and facing off against former Real Madrid teammates Sergio Ramos and Keylor Navas, he also uploaded a photo of himself hugging Messi with a message to “old friends.”
Ronaldo tweeted: “So happy to be back on the pitch, and on the score sheet!! And nice to see some old friends.”
So happy to be back on the pitch, and on the score sheet!! And nice to see some old friends!👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/qZqKGHsrVD
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) January 19, 2023
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Following the game, Messi, the World Cup winner, posted a photo of their hug on Instagram, demonstrating their mutual regard for one another after competing against one another for years at the top of the sport.
The Saudi fans cheered enthusiastically when Ronaldo picked up the ball on the halfway line and deftly nutmegged Carlos Soler in the 11th minute.
He then found the net with a smart finish in the 34th minute from the penalty spot, cancelling out Messi’s third-minute penalty and giving the new kingdom a taste of what the Saudi Pro League is in for.
The Portuguese superstar was accidentally hit in the face by his former Real Madrid teammate Keylor Navas as he climbed above the defenders to win the penalty kick.
The veteran player scored once more in stoppage time to close the first half before being substituted.
Ronaldo has yet to play for Al-Nassr because of a suspension he received when playing for Manchester United.
