It has been a busy few days for Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo since resuming club duties with Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.
Ronaldo returned to Al Nassr after helping the Seleção to victories over Liechtenstein and Iceland during the international break, and the forward has been straight back into the headlines in the Middle East.
First Ronaldo scored two superb goals in Al Nassr’s 3-0 win over Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League, including a sensational second which has been replayed countless times across world media. Ronaldo caught Al Akhdoud’s Brazilian goalkeeper Paulo Vítor off his line and found the net with a perfectly-executed lob from some 30 yards.
That is outrageous from Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/lOSuvOPU13
— Sean Gillen (@SeanGillen9) November 24, 2023
Ronaldo was back in action on Monday evening as Al Nassr, who are already qualified, took on Iranian side Persepolis in Group E of the Asian Champions League. The match ended goalless but the night was notable for a extraordinary piece of sportsmanship by Ronaldo, who was awarded a penalty only to inform the referee that the decision was not the correct one.
Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded a penalty in the Asian CL and advised the referee it was not a correct call pic.twitter.com/5fIDb5YB8u
— Sean Gillen (@SeanGillen9) November 27, 2023
VAR, perhaps influenced by Ronaldo’s advice, overturned the award and Ronaldo was widely praised across social media for his honesty. After the victory over Al Akhdoud on Friday, Al Nassr’s Portuguese boss Luís Castro emphasised the influence Ronaldo’s example should have on the next generation of young footballer.
“My message to all the young stars is that work is what leads you to success, only work,” Castro said. “We speak about Ronaldo because he is a great example of work. If you want to be a better tomorrow than you are today, you have to work today in a very serious way to be better.”
Ronaldo’s influence is clear at Al Nassr, who are unbeaten since August. On a personal level, Ronaldo has a remarkable 48 goals in 2023, with seven more matches before the end of the calendar year to increase his tally.
By @SeanGillen9
