Cristiano Ronaldo: Even opposition manager was fanboying over Al-Nassr star

Cristiano Ronaldo has changed Saudi Arabian football forever.

While there is undoubtedly domestic quality in the Saudi Pro League and plenty of players have already moved over from the European game, there’s no denying that one of the greatest athletes in history joining the division was a watershed moment.

Having played his entire club career in Europe up until this point, Ronaldo took the massive decision to start chasing glory in the Asian game by securing a lucrative move to Al-Nassr.

Naturally, the finances go a long way to explaining why Ronaldo has opted for a transfer to Saudi Arabia, but the Portuguese star has also expressed a passion for competing in a new country.

“In Europe, my work is done,” Ronaldo declared, according to the BBC. “I’ve won everything. I’ve played in the most important clubs in Europe. And now for me is a new challenge.”

The ultimate football quiz of 2022Why didn’t Ronaldo make his Al-Nassr debut?

Nevertheless, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been forced to wait a little longer for his Al-Nassr bow reportedly as a result of his two-match from the Football Association for knocking a phone out of an Everton fan’s hand.

Consequently, Ronaldo wasn’t named in the match-day squad for Al-Nassr’s first game since his historic arrival, which saw the visit of Al-Tai FC to Mrsool Park.

The 37-year-old was seen getting amongst the formalities at the stadium and even went viral for his reaction to one of Al-Nassr’s goals in the 2-0 victory from the ‘comfort’ of an exercise bike.

But aside from the action on the pitch, the game was also an opportunity for everyone to gauge just how much having Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League would change things going forward.

With all due respect to the players in the competition, a lot of them are unfamiliar with competing against a superstar of Ronaldo’s calibre with five Ballon d’Or trophies to his name.

As such, there’s good reason to think that Ronaldo might be treated like a celebrity at Al-Nassr matches even more than had previously been the case with Manchester United, Juventus and so on.

Ronaldo at the Al-Nassr vs Al Tai game.