A smattering of boos could be heard at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on Thursday when Cristiano Ronaldo was withdrawn after 60 minutes. The Portuguese was making his first appearance in Saudi Arabia since leaving Manchester United and thousands flocked to see him in action, although some were left disappointed that his showing was cut short.
A packed-out stadium rocked up in Riyadh to witness Ronaldo play his first game since relocating to Saudi Arabia. To add to the occasion, Lionel Messi was part of the opposition as Paris Saint-Germain travelled to face a Saudi All-Star XI.
After signing a mega-money deal with Saudi side Al-Nassr, Ronaldo began the match as captain and certainly made an impact before withdrawing on the hour mark. The former Manchester United forward equalised twice during the first half – firstly from the penalty spot before firing in a rebound – with Messi also amongst the goals.
Flicks and tricks delighted fans but Ronaldo appeared to gesture towards the bench with 30 minutes of the match remaining and stood next to the fourth official as his famous No 7 was held aloft. His early withdrawal sparked boos from some in attendance, with thousands of others denied tickets due to huge demand.
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Although the sides went in level during the break, 10-man PSG – a man light after Juan Bernat’s red card – put the burners on in the second half with Sergio Ramos, Kylian Mbappe and Hugo Ekitike joining Messi and Marquinhos on the scoresheet. The entertaining 5-4 win should serve as a confidence boost ahead of their French Cup outing against Pays de Cassel on Monday.
Brazilian talent Talisca got the last of Al-Nassr’s goals in stoppage time and he could become something of a partner in crime for Ronaldo, with a superb goal-scoring record in Saudi Arabia. Many criticised the former Real Madrid star’s move to the Middle East but he claimed that many ‘know nothing about football’ during his unveiling.
“Many people speak and give their opinions but they really do not know nothing about football,” Ronaldo insisted. “As you know football now, probably the last 10-15 years it is different, all the teams are more prepared, more ready.
“So for me it’s not the end of my career to come to [Saudi Arabia], that’s what I want to change. So I really don’t worry about what the people say.”
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