Following his coach’s announcement that the Portugal international would play against Paris Saint-Germain in a friendly this month, Cristiano Ronaldo may face Lionel Messi in his first game since moving to Saudi Arabia.
Before making his league debut with Al Nassr, Ronaldo must serve a suspension, but on January 19 in Riyadh, he is expected to take on PSG with a team that includes members of both Al Nassr and Al Hilal. Ronaldo missed the first of two domestic games for Al Nassr on Friday after receiving punishment from the English Football Association for knocking a fan’s phone out of their hand after Manchester United’s loss at Everton in April.
Despite expecting Ronaldo to play against PSG, Al Nassr’s manager, Rudi Garcia, said that the 37-year-old forward will also miss the league encounter against Al Shabab and was slated to make his debut on January 22 against Ettifaq.
Geopolitically speaking, the match is significant as well because it pits Saudi teams against a Qatari team. Garcia said that his debut “won’t be with the Al Nassr shirt,” as quoted by L’Équipe. Al Hilal and Al Nassr will be mixed. I am unable to be pleased with this match as Al Nassr’s head coach. Watching PSG and the great Parisian players is beneficial for development. However, we play in the champion’s league three days later.
In bringing attention to the little-known Saudi club that has gained more than 10 million new Instagram followers since the player’s signing, Garcia compared Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia to Pelé’s move to the New York Cosmos. “He has not had easy moments,” the manager remarked of Ronaldo, “between Manchester United, the national team, and also at a private level.” “It will be a good objective to achieve if he discovers the joy of playing again.”
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