Cristiano Ronaldo remains goalless in league debut, Al-Nassr coach Rudi Garcia praises veteran post win

Following his headline-making performance against Paris-Saint German in an exhibition match recently, Al-Nassr’s newest signing Cristiano Ronaldo finally made his Saudi Pro League debut on Sunday night against Al Ettifaq at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. Although he didn’t score on his debut for his new team, Al-Nassr’s coach Rudi Garcia heaped praises on the veteran for his impact on the field. Adding that Ronaldo’s presence is a big plus for the team, Rudi said Cristiano distracted the defenders that eventually helped them score a goal and win the match. With this victory, Al-Nassrhas returned to the top of points table with 33 points.

Despite not getting enough rest after the PSG game where he scored twice, Ronaldo was instrumental in guiding Al-Nassr to a win against mid-table side Al Ettifaq. While Al-Nassr came close to scoring on a few occasions, it was their attacking mid-fielder Talisca who converted his chance into a goal in the 31st minute. Post win, club’s head coach Rudi Garcia shared encouraging words for Ronaldo saying,"It's a positive addition when you have a player like Ronaldo as he helps to distract the defenders, which is what happened with our goal."

"Today we created opportunities for him and asked the players to diversify the game between him and Talisca, and we must not forget that he participated in the (exhibition match against) Paris-St German and did not get enough rest," he added.

Banking on the star striker‘s ability to deliver for Al-Nassr in the remainder of season, Garciafeels Ronaldo’s presence still doesn’t guarantee winning the league as the competition is very high.

"Even with the presence of Ronaldo, it is not easy to win the Saudi League because of ... the strength of the competitors," Garcia said.

Following fallout with his former club Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to join Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in a record-breaking transfer that made him the most-expensive footballer in the world.