Cristiano Ronaldo needed no second invitation to dazzle fans during his first match in Saudi Arabia, as the Portuguese star produced a sublime nutmeg before scoring twice in a nine-goal thriller against PSG in Riyadh on Thursday.
Captaining an all-star line-up consisting of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal players, the 37-year-old faced his competitive rival Lionel Messi in a mid-season friendly against the French champions, who took time out of their Ligue 1 campaign to travel to the Middle East.
Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr on a record-breaking deal worth £173million per year following his acrimonious exit from Manchester United, won Man of the Match for his impressive display, despite falling to a 5-4 defeat against PSG.
Supporters erupted as Cristiano Ronaldo produced a superb nutmeg versus PSG on Thursday
The Portuguese icon captained the all-star Saudi Pro League team against PSG and won MOTM
In the 11th minute, the megastar picked up the ball on the halfway line and cleverly nutmegged Carlos Soler, prompting a buoyant roar from the Saudi supporters.
He then found the net with a smart finish in the 34th minute, cancelling out Messi’s third-minute penalty and giving the new kingdom a taste of what the Saudi Pro League is in for.
The veteran netted again in stoppage time at the end of the first half before making way in the second.
Ronaldo has yet to feature for Al-Nassr due to a ban he picked up whilst at Manchester United.
Lionel Messi (L), Kylian Mbappe (C) and Neymar (R) all featured in the star-studded friendly
Fans quickly took to social media to extol the superstar’s performance.
One supporter wrote on Twitter: ‘Ronaldo won the man of the match award in a game where Mbappe, Neymar, Ramos and Messi played. He is 38 years old (in February).’
Another fan, who clearly felt the same, tweeted: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo at 37 really dropped a Man of the Match when Messi, Mbappe and Neymar all were playing the same game.’
A third weighed in on the greatest of all-time debate, which Messi staked a claim to with his World Cup triumph in Qatar, and said: ‘Ronaldo scored a brace vs Messi Neymar Mbappe and got MOTM. Forever the GOAT.’
Fans took to Twitter to celebrate Ronaldo and his impressive display against the French side
Source: Dailymail.co.uk
