Cristiano Ronaldo has never been too keen on letting a big occasion slip by gently into the night without making a statement and thrusting himself directly into the spotlight.
Thursday was no exception as Ronaldo played his first game at club level since his ill-fated second tenure with Manchester United came to a controversial end in November and first since Portugal bowed out of the FIFA World Cup.
A little more than a week after the festivities in Qatar broke up, Ronaldo signed a mega-rich deal with Al Nassr worth a reported €200 million per year that ties him to the Saudi club until 2025. Ronaldo, who turns 37 next month, is expected to play his first game for Al Nassr on Sunday in a league match against Ettifaq FC.
But making his Saudi debut in such a humble, low-profile affair isn’t befitting a player of Ronaldo’s stature and celebrity. Thursday’s international friendly between Paris Saint-Germain and Riyadh ST XI – an all-star team made up of players from Saudi clubs Al Hilal and Al Nassr – was arranged in part to give the Portuguese icon a proper welcome to the country where he’ll be making his living for the next few years.
The two teams combined to put on a show in an absolute goal-fest that saw PSG and Lionel Messi, fresh off his World Cup victory from a month ago, record a 5-4 win over the Saudi All Stars. But it was Ronaldo, wearing his trademark No. 7, who drew the headlines and won man-of-the-match honours by scoring two goals, one of which came from the 12-yard spot after he shook off a blow to the head by PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas to earn a penalty in the 34th minute.
The sellout crowd in King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh were brought to their feet again just before halftime when Ronaldo collected his own rebound off a shot that clattered off the far post and slipped it past Navas, before he was subbed off in the 60th minute to a standing ovation. His brace bested the tally registered by Messi (he was held to just one goal), allowing Ronaldo to take centre stage on the night.
What, if anything, can be read into this performance by Ronaldo? On the surface, not much. PSG fielded a full-strength starting 11 (with the exception of Gianluigi Donnarumma), but this was hardly a competitive game played at anything approaching a serious level. Instead, this was your typical international friendly in which the calibre of defending was comical, and non-existent at times.
Still, this game against PSG was instructive in terms of providing some insight into how Ronaldo will be used by Al Nassr, who is coached by Frenchman Rudi Garcia (formerly in charge of Lille, Lyon, Marseille and AS Roma) and who also features Brazilian midfielder, Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina and Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo.
In his last few seasons at Real Madrid, Ronaldo adapted his style of play to become more of a free roaming forward. It was a role that allowed him to build upon his amazing goalscoring record, but also demanded that he work hard both on and off the ball, and sharpen his sense of positioning. His three seasons with Juventus also saw him feature in a variety of different attacking roles.
His second run at Manchester United brought an end to all of that, as managers Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag did not give him the same creative license that he enjoyed in Italy and Spain.
Against PSG, Ronaldo flourished under Saudi All Star team coach Marcelo Gallardo. The official team sheet listed Ronaldo as a left-sided attacker as part of a front three, and that’s how he started the game. But it wasn’t very long before things shifted, and he was deployed as a traditional No. 9. At the same time, Ronaldo dropped back deep in order to collect the ball rather than wait for it to arrive at his feet. The next thing you knew, he was popping up on the right side.
Given the freedom to follow his attacking instincts, Ronaldo became the main reference point in attack for the Saudis and the team managed to score three times against PSG before the Portuguese star left the game after an hour.
The sense of joy etched on his face as he waved to the crowd while being subbed off was palpable. If Thursday was anything to go by, he’s clearly enjoying his football again after falling out with Manchester United and will thrive in Saudi Arabia as Al Nassr gives him license to play in a free role like he once did and build the team around him.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.