Cristiano Ronaldo returned with a bang after his three-match strike in protest of Al-Nassr’s lacklustre approach to the winter transfer window, MySportDab reports.
The Manchester United legend sat out for three matches cutting across domestic and continental fixtures to register his displeasure over the club’s decision not to reinforce in the just-concluded winter transfer window.
Notably, the five-time Ballon d’Or winners’ strike reignite echos of deep-seated rifts and uncertainties surrounding his future in the Saudi top division, with reports he may likely leave before his contract expires in 2027.
Now, the fuss has been tempered temporarily with the footballing royalty back to action.
And he didn’t just return, but did so in style for the Knight of Najd, scoring 18 minutes into proceedings to race Al-Nassr into the lead against Al Fateh at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium (Video Available At The End Of This Post).
That goal marked his 962nd career strike, further enlivening hopes of him reaching the much-vaunted 1000-goal benchmark.
He has now scored 18 goals in 19 Saudi Pro league matches for Al-Nassr this season, taking his overall league tally since his debut in 2023-24 season to 78 goals.
Forward Ayman Yahya netted Al-Nassr’s second in the night to seal a 2–0 away victory for the club. That result has seen them narrow the gap on table-toppers Al-Hilal to just one point, blowing open the Saudi Pro League title race and strengthening their bid to end a seven-year wait for the Saudi Championship.
Ronaldo is expected to lead the charge again as they return to action on Wednesday, playing host to Arkadag in the AFC Cup round 16 second leg.
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