Although Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on his competitive debut for his new club Al-Nassr, coach Rudi Garcia emphasizes the value of the superstar.
“It’s a positive addition when you have a player like Ronaldo because he helps distract the defenders from what happened when we scored,” said the Frenchman after Sunday’s 1-0 win over Al-Ettifaq. The 37-year-old switched to Al-Nassr in the winter, where he signed a contract for two and a half years.
Al-Nassr remains top of the table in Saudi Arabia with the win. But Garcia warns: “Even with Ronaldo, it’s not easy to win the Saudi league. The competition is tough.” The five-time world footballer commented on the success on his Instagram account: “First game, first win. Well done boys.”
After serving a ban from England in his first two league games, Ronaldo made his debut last Thursday in a friendly between Ronaldo’s club and rivals Al-Hilal against French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite two goals from the Portuguese, PSG won 5: 4 with world champion Lionel Messi. According to media reports, the striker at Al-Nassr should earn the equivalent of around 200 million euros per season, including advertising revenue.
