Cristiano Ronaldo made an immediate impact upon his return to club duty this Friday, finding the back of the net as Al-Nassr secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League. This outing marked the 41-year-old’s first appearance since his abrupt departure from the Portugal international squad, a team for which he holds a record of 146 goals in 234 caps.
The controversy stems from a statement released by the veteran striker on Tuesday, in which he accused Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus of failing to honor commitments regarding his playing time during the Nations League fixtures. Despite this international turbulence, Ronaldo—who previously claimed a league title under Jesus’s management in May—reverted to form by opening the scoring midway through the first half.
The goal, the 980th of his professional career, came when he capitalized on a rebound after Diriyah goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah parried an initial strike from Kingsley Coman. Under the guidance of manager Ange Postecoglou, Al-Nassr doubled their lead through Samu Costa just before halftime, with Coman ultimately sealing the 3-0 result with 13 minutes left on the clock. The win leaves the defending champions level on points with league leaders Al-Qadsiah, who defeated Al-Kholood 5-0 earlier in the day behind goals from Tijjani Reijnders, Mateo Retegui, and Julian Quinones. And Ronaldo was there to shoot home the rebound from close range for goal number 980 in his career, kingsley Coman’s shot from outside the area was blocked by goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.
