Cristiano Ronaldo finally ended his goal drought in Al Nassr jersey with a clutch penalty to help his team settle for a 2-2 draw at Al Fateh in a thrilling Saudi Pro League match on Friday.
Ronaldo, who had a rough start to his Al Nassr journey, converted from the spot three minutes into added time, having failed to score on his debut last month.
Ronaldo signed a 2-1/2 year deal with Al Nassr in December, reported to be worth over 200 million euros ($216.54 million), and was appointed captain shortly after his arrival.
Al Nassr now top the standings after 15 games, level on 34 points with second-placed Al Shabab but with a match in hand. They next travel to Al Wedha on Thursday.
The 37-year-old scored a brace against Paris Saint-Germain during an exhibition match while playing for Saudi All Star XI. However, after four games he finally broke the shackles to score his first goal for Al Nassr who went all out to sign him in the winter transfer window after his exit from Manchester United.
Ronaldo arrived in oil-rich Saudi Arabia in early January but his debut was delayed while he served a two-match ban for knocking a mobile phone out of a fan’s hand while at Manchester United.
The move to Saudi is a step down for Ronaldo, an undisputable all-time great who has continually delivered on football’s biggest stages and amassed an astonishing haul of team and personal honours.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is the all-time Champions League top-scorer, collecting five titles along the way, and has won seven domestic championships with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
Ronaldo also holds the record for international goals — 118 with Portugal, with whom he won Euro 2016 — and career goals with 819. In Qatar last year, he became the first man to score at five World Cups.
His shock move to Al Nassr came after his second stint at Manchester United collapsed in acrimony when he savaged the club in a TV interview.
According to a source close to Al Nassr, he signed for more than 200 million euros on top of a separate 200-million-euro deal to act as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s expected 2030 World Cup co-hosting bid.
(With Agency Inputs)
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