The 37-year-old made his Saudi Pro League bow at the weekend, and quickly learned that he won't be in for an easy ride
Cristiano Ronaldo's first outing in the Middle East came in the Riyadh All-Star XI's glamorous exhibition match against Paris Saint-Germain last week, which he marked with a brace to outshine his eternal rival Lionel Messi.
Both men came off after 60 minutes as PSG went on to earn a 5-4 victory, but while Messi then returned to Europe to resume Ligue 1 and Champions League pursuits, Ronaldo remained in Saudi Arabia to begin his career with Al-Nassr.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner insisted the time was right for a "new challenge in Asia" after signing his eye-watering £177-million-per-year contract with the Saudi Pro League outfit, having seen his previous deal at Manchester United terminated by mutual consent in November.
Ronaldo's second spell at Old Trafford ended in controversial circumstances, and he cut a frustrated figure during his final months at the club, but already looks to be embracing a fresh start at Al-Nassr.
Rudi Garcia's side beat Ettifaq 1-0 in the Portugal striker's first competitive appearance, and although he failed to get his name on the scoresheet, there were plenty of positives to take from his performance as Al-Nassr moved back to the top of the league.
GOAL breaks down his long-awaited debut…
GettyA hero's reception
Al-Nassr's Mrsool Park stadium was sold out for the occasion, with a capacity crowd of 25,000 turning out to see Ronaldo line up in their yellow and blue colours for the first time – some three weeks on from his glitzy unveiling to a similarly excited audience.
The atmosphere inside the venue is a far cry from what Ronaldo was used to at Old Trafford, or previously at Juventus' Allianz Stadium and Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu, but the Al-Nassr fans did their utmost to welcome their new hero in style.
In addition to a number of Ronaldo banners being held up, flares were also seen in the home stands prior to kick-off, and the cheers were deafening when he emerged from the tunnel wearing the captain's armband – while also sporting a black eye from the punch he took from PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas a few days earlier.
AdvertisementGettyRenewed vigour
Ronaldo was often accused of failing to put in enough effort for United in the first half of their 2022-23 campaign, and wasn't the right fit for Erik ten Hag's high-pressing style.
Al-Nassr boss Garcia won't be holding the veteran striker to the same strict standards, but he looked far more energetic and determined on his debut than in any of his 16 appearances for the Red Devils under Ten Hag.
Ronaldo also took a more positive approach with his new team-mates, reassuring them whenever a pass was misplaced or a shot was dragged off target – a far cry from the man often seen lambasting his colleagues at Old Trafford for similar errors.
GettyA constant threat
Ronaldo was dispossessed on both of his first two touches, but the Al-Nassr faithful continued to cheer every time the ex-United star got on the ball, and it seemed to spur him on.
It wasn't long before the tricks and step-overs came out as Ronaldo looked to open up the Ettifaq defence at every opportunity, despite receiving plenty of rough treatment.
He expertly made room for a shot after just six minutes, with his deflected effort sailing over the bar, and also came close with a 25-yard free-kick late in the half.
In the second half, he almost bagged an assist after busting a gut to deliver a first-time cross from the left wing, and even attempted an acrobatic overhead kick that brought back memories of his Champions League stunner for Madrid against Juventus in 2018, but ultimately failed to connect.
On this evidence, it won't be long before Ronaldo starts banging in the goals again, but he could yet be outshined by a certain Brazilian colleague…
GettyInstant rapport with Talisca
Former Benfica and Besiktas forward Anderson Talisca will be leading the line alongside Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, and he showed that he is still the main man for the time being on Sunday.
The 28-year-old, who also won four caps for Brazil's Under-23s in the earlier stages of his career, rose to head home a cross from Abdulmajeed Al Sulaiheem, which just bypassed Ronaldo, in the 31st minute of the contest for his 12th goal of the season.
Talisca was a menace throughout the contest, and also forced a strong save from the Ettifaq goalkeeper after he let fly with a long-range thunderbolt, with Ronaldo unable to match his overall impact.
Still, the two men seemed to strike up a good understanding and worked well in tandem to help Al-Nassr record their 10th win from 14 games, and it will be a huge task for defences across the SPL to keep them at bay in the coming weeks.