Critiano Ronaldo (CR7) Scores

Despite the influx of new signings in the Saudi Pro League over the summer, there is still one player fans want to see in action more than any other: Cristiano Ronaldo. Having arrived at Al-Nassr in January, the Portuguese superstar is ready to embark on a full campaign with the club for the first time.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his new team came up short in the title race last season, and so he will be determined not to let that happen again.

Factor in the famous faces that have now joined him in the league who will be aiming to outshine the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, and Ronaldo should be even more keen to ensure he remains top dog in his new home.

Supersports24 is here, then, to ensure you don’t miss out on any of Ronaldo’s displays during his first full season in the Middle East, as we will be casting our eye over and giving an evaluation on how he fares in each of his outings in 2023-2024.

Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty to help fire Al-Nassr to a 3-1 win against Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.

It was a frustrating afternoon overall for the Portugal star as he wasted a few too many chances to score in a dominant display for the Riyadh club. After squandering two great opportunities, Ronaldo finally got onto the scoresheet when he fired in from the spot after Sadio Mane was fouled in the visitors’ box.

The 38-year-old’s goal extended his team’s lead to three goals after Alex Telles’ gorgeous effort opened the scoring and Marcelo Brozovic got his first goal after capitalising on some awful play from Al-Ettifaq, combining with Ronaldo and then firing into the net.

Al-Ettifaq pulled a goal back late on through Mohammed Al Kuwaykibi but the damange had already been done by then. Grade: B-.

Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his 50th goal of 2023 as Al-Nassr romped into the semi-finals of the King Cup of Champions with a 5-2 win at Al-Shabab.

After the 38-year-old nearly gave the visitors the lead when his free-kick from 25 yards shot through the wall, only for goalkeeper Seung-gyuKim to make a smart stop, the hosts should have gone gone ahead from the spot. Yannick Carrasco was hauled down by Abdulrahman Ghareeb in the 15th minute but the Belgian skied his penalty over the bar and 90 seconds later, Seko Fofana made it 1-0 to Al-Nassr.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a couple of good chances to make it 2-1 but fluffed his lines from 15 yards and then shot straight at the keeper near the penalty spot. Al-Shabab drew level in the 24th minute when Carlos headed home from a corner after slack marking, but Sadio Mane restored Al-Nassr’s advantage from a rapid counter-attack.

Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t far away from making it 3-1 as he tried to turn in Marcelo Brozovic’s pass across the six-yard box, but Ghareeb was on hand to tap home in first-half stoppage time.

Ronaldo apologised to his teammates after lashing a poor shot high and wide of the goal from range but he was celebrating not long later when he lashed in for his team’s fourth following superb work from Otavio 16 minutes from time.

The former Real Madrid ace made way in the 82nd minute for Mohammed Maran with the contest won, but there was still time for Hattan Bahebri and Maran to score a goal apiece after the 90th minute to make it 5-2.

Luis Castro’s side rode their luck at times but now they are in the last four of the competition. Ronaldo wasn’t at his best but to bring up a half-century in one year, as he approaches 40, is a remarkable effort.

Grade: A-

December 8: Al-Nassr 4-1 Al-Riyadh

In a battle between the two heavyweight sides in the Saudi Pro League, Hilal bested their rivals and went seven points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo and co in the standings. Ex-Fulham star Aleksandr Mitrovic net twice in the final minutes of the game to close it out, making it six-straight games with a goal for the Serbian international. The opener was scored by former Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who notched home a blistering header in the 64th minute.

For Ronaldo, it was an evening where he was more often caught complaining to the referee for a ghost foul rather than him fighting for a goal himself. He was guility of engaging in discourse with his opposition and the referee, the striker seemingly struggling to integrate his mind into the match on top of his body.

The Portuguese legend had, however, put one in the back of the net at one point late in the match, but after a VAR review it was deemed offside. In a moment of madness, Nassr boss Luis Castro even pulled out his phone to try and show the Assistant referee that the VAR was wrong. It didn’t stop there, though, as Ronaldo was once again called offside on another Nassr goal in stoppage time on a night where nothing – at all – went right for the 38-year-old.

Grade: D

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Cristiano Ronaldo put in an underwhelming display as Al-Nassr were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Persepolis in the AFC Champions League on Monday.

The Portugal star seemed set to lead his team to an early lead when he was brought down inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Amazingly, though, the forward signalled to the referee that it was not a foul and, after a VAR review, the referee decided to reverse his decision.

The two sides exchanged chances with neither side really dominating. Al-Nassr had most of the possession, despite seeing Ali Lajami sent off with a straight red card in 17 minutes, but Persepolis were the more trigger happy throughout.

After a brief injury fear early in the second half, Ronaldo was presented with a good opportunity when Sadio Mane’s pass into the box found him via an Otavio dummy.

The Portugal star made space for himself just inside the box and unleashed a shot but it flew wide of the target. The 38-year-old was taken off with less than 15 minutes remaining as the game fizzed out to a goalless draw. Grade: C-.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored two absolutely superb goals for Al-Nassr as they cruised to a comfortable win on Friday night.

Sami Al Naji opened the scoring, tapping home a cut-back from Sultan Al-Ghannam. Ronaldo could only watch on as the ball was converted.

The Portugal superstar actually appeared to suffer an injury, as he was involved in a heavy collision in the box and appeared to hold his back in pain.

Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed his 13th Saudi Pro League goal of the season to help Al-Nassr to a 4-1 win against Al-Wehda. It turned out to be a comfortable afternoon for the Riyadh club despite some bright spells from their opponents, and the fun began with a scrumptious free-kick goal from Alex Telles, who sent the ball curling into the box as goalkeeper Munir could only stand and watch.

Sadio Mane came close to heading in another for the visitors, but his header bounced off the ground and was tipped over the bar.

The home team looked capable of pulling level for most of the remainder of the first half, but instead it was Al-Nassr defender Abdulelah Al Amri who grabbed the next goal, rising to head in from Marcelo Brozovic’s cross from a corner.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a great chance to make it 3-0 four minutes into the second half, but his effort went wide. He did not have to wait much longer for his goal, though.

Just seconds later, Al-Wehda’s lame attempt to play the ball out from the back ended in a horrendous header that fell just in front of Ronaldo, teeing him up for a simple finish.

Al-Nassr thought they had grabbed another goal just after the hour mark when the ball was played into the box where Ronaldo and Anderson Talisca were queuing up for it, and it hit off the latter before bouncing beyond Munir. However, after a VAR review it was ruled that Cristiano Ronaldo was offside and interfering with play as the ball was lobbed in.

Al-Wehda managed to pull a goal back in the 81st minute through an Anselmo header, but the damage had been done and, despite having a last-minute goal ruled out after a VAR review, it was a comfortable day for Ronaldo and Co. Grade: B-

Ronaldo then scored a superb goal himself, despite that injury issue, as he quite brilliantly controlled an errant goalkeeper punch and slammed the ball home at the near post.

He followed that up with one of the best goals he has ever scored. After the goalkeeper rushed out, Ronaldo sent a lob from 30 yards into the back of the net.

He could not have played any better, especially when his potential injury is factored in.Grade: A+

Cristiano Ronaldo played the decisive role as Al-Nassr beat Al-Khaleej 2-0 in Riyadh to stretch their unbeaten run to 16 matches in all competitions. The Portugal star lashed home from outside the box to beat Al-Khaleej goalkeeper Marwan Al-Haidari 26 minutes into the Saudi Pro League match. The goal came over 15 minutes after Sadio Mane thought he had opened the scoring, but was denied after a lengthy VAR check ruled him offside.

After a long spell without any clear cut chances for either side, Ronaldo popped up to help make the difference once again, this time meeting a free-kick at the back post to send it across the goal for Aymeric Laporte to knock into the empty net.

In another drab affair in Saudi Arabia, Al-Nassr must be elated that they had Cristiano Ronaldo to bail them out and keep them four points behind Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal. Grade: B.

Cristiano Ronaldo played a key role as Al-Nassr beat Al-Feiha 3-1 in an otherwise subdued peformance from the star forward.

After a goalless first-half that saw both teams squander their opportunities, Ronaldo teed up Anderson Talisca for the opening goal just five minutes after the restart. The Portugal star had just seen a header go just wide of the mark but Al-Nassr pushed forward immediately afterwards and a quick combination saw Ronaldo pass back to Talisca on the edge of the box and the attacker’s effort beat the goalkeeper with help from a huge deflection.

Ronaldo looked destined to make it 2-0 when he was sent through on goal but he failed to get the shot off and lost the ball. Al-Nassr won it straight back and Sadio Mane fired into the net, but the offside flag was up.

Instead it was Talisca who nodded in the visitors’ second goal to round off a fine team move, but the home team pulled one back through Hussain Al Shuwaish, who got on the end of a free-kick cross to knock it beyond Nawaf Al Aqidi.

Al-Nassr had no reason to fear, however, as Otavio restored their two-goal lead when he sent it curling into the net from outside the box.

The second-half performance was a big improvement on the first 45 as Ronaldo and Co. go second in the Saudi Pro League.

Grade: C.

A far from ideal display from Ronaldo as Al-Nassr got their Champions League campaign under way. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner looked lost on a day where his side barely scraped by 10-man Iranian side Persepolis. Ronaldo took just one shot in the entire match and completed zero successful dribbles.

It was one of those nights for the 38-year-old, who never found his footing and proved to be more of a hindrance to his sides’ attack rather than an asset. He won just two of his seven ground duels and more often than not found himself looking for a foul than continuing the play due to either being beaten or having the ball taken off him.

Persepolis were reduced to 10-men early in the second-half, which allowed Nassr to capitalise with two goals of their own, but Ronaldo played no part in either strike. Despite playing the full 90 minutes, he only had 27 touches of the ball and completed just 12 accurate passes. He was then subbed off in second-half stoppage time. Grade: C-

Returning from the international break, Ronaldo wasn’t shy in trying his luck against Al-Raed, with the Portuguese firing in a number of shots from long-range in the first half in between being the victim of some rough challenges from the home defenders.

His closest effort came when he fired a 18-yard free-kick narrowly wide, but it was left to Sadio Mane to open the scoring with an angled drive in first-half stoppage-time.

Half-time substitute Anderson Talisca doubled Nassr’s lead early in the second period with a 30-yard piledriver, and that just seemed to spurn Ronaldo on as he looked to score a spectacular goal himself.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner eventually got on the scoresheet with 11 minutes left on the clock, cutting inside onto his left foot before driving an unstoppable effort into the bottom corner, before the hosts grabbed a consolation penalty late on and Ronaldo had a potential second ruled out by VAR for offside.

Overall, not the best Ronaldo performance since his arrival in Saudi Arabia, but far from his worst either. Grade: B+

Ronaldo was central to just about everything good for Nassr against Hazm, as they recorded a big win.

The first half was without a degree of fluidity for Nassr, but Ronaldo played a key role in the opening goal. Collecting the ball around 30 yards from goal, he drove at the Hazm defence and slid the ball through to Abdulrahman Ghareeb, who finished coolly. It was his fourth assist in four games.

Nassr added a second when Abdullah Al-Khaibari volleyed home from a corner; Ronaldo watched on as he finished at the back post.

Hazm pulled a goal back after the restart but the Portugal superstar was in no mood to allow a comeback.

First, he assisted Otavio for the third goal, squaring to the winger for a tap-in from inside the six-yard box. Ronaldo then scored the fourth himself, getting on the end of some neat interplay in the penalty box and slamming the ball into the top corner.

Sadio Mane added a fifth, with Ronaldo again involved in the build-up.

It was a sparkling performance from the Nassr skipper, who shows no signs of slowing down in the Pro League. Grade: A+

Late-career Ronaldo has functioned like this for some time. He spent most of his time making runs or drifting out wide, but seldom got involved in play. Still, the few touches he had were clinical – and emphatic.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner hadn’t had a kick when he was sent to the penalty spot after 12 minutes. And the result was as expected, with Al-Nassr’s captain sending the keeper the wrong way with a cool finish.

Ronaldo was unfortunate not to have a second just a few minutes later, seeing a towering header from a corner unluckily ruled out for what was adjudged to be a foul as the delivery came in. But the third time he hit the net, the goal stood. Ronaldo buried his second of the night just before the half, converting again from the penalty spot to give his side a 2-0 lead.

He was involved in the third Al-Nassr goal, too, feeding Mane, who beat goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu at his near post to establish a 3-0 lead. The Portuguese could have buried his third penalty of the night soon after the break but handed the ball to Abdulrahman Ghareeb, who clanged the spot-kick off the post.

Fans will likely be disappointed that Ronaldo didn’t grab his second successive hat-trick, but by the time Al-Nassr went up 4-0, he was simply having fun. Out came the back heels, flicks and stepovers. This wasn’t the most ruthless version of Ronaldo. Nor was it really the best. But he scored twice, and his team won 4-0 against a local rival. It’s hard to ask for more.

Grade: B

This was Ronaldo in his element. The 38-year-old was firing on all cylinders. Pushing forward as a direct goal threat when he saw the opportunity or making the sensible pass to link up with his team-mates, he was impossible for the home team to handle here.

His assist for the opening goal was classic CR7. The ball was played straight to him and he knew exactly what to do – instantly backheeling it into the path of Sadio Mane. The timing and the weight were perfect and the Senegal star could not fail to find the net.

Almost immediately afterwards, Ronaldo forced his way into a great position to score, only to send his effort wide. He would not have to wait long to get his goal, though, as he was perfectly placed to leap into the air and nod Sultan Al-Ghannam’s cross into the net to make it 2-0.

The ex-Real Madrid and Manchester United star did not stop there, though. He kept pushing and was side by side with Abdulrahman Ghareeb, who played it beyond the goalkeeper and found Ronaldo to slot into the open goal to make it 3-0.

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He even played a vital role in Al-Nassr’s fourth goal – charging towards the defence and sucking them into his orbit before he knocked it wide to Ghareeb, whose cross found Mane’s head and bounced in.

Ronaldo wasn’t done there, however. He snuck into the box, free of his marker and was fed through before burying into the bottom corner to complete his treble. Grade: A

For a long time, it looked like being one of those nights for Ronaldo.

Against Shabab Al-Ahli, he saw three penalty shouts turned down in the first half alone. One of them was a stonewall spot kick, with the opposition defender quite clearly using his hand to block the forward’s spectacular, goalbound volley.

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It resembled something you might see in volleyball, but the referee remained unmoved, much to Ronaldo’s disgust. This bizarre decision threatened to headline another hugely frustrating night, but, led by Ronaldo, Al-Nassr recovered their composure to triumph in the tie.

Unlike against Al-Taawoun the previous week, the Portuguese legend put in a solid performance in his side’s AFC Champions League play-off. Yes, he did miscue the odd chance, but by and large he desperately tried to pull his side out of the mire.

And he got his just rewards at the death, laying on the assist for Marcelo Brozovic’s game-clinching goal in second-half stoppage time. Grade: B

As Ronaldo was slipped through in the dying stages of Al-Nassr’s clash with Al-Taawoun, it seemed he was going to redeem himself after an underwhelming evening in Riyadh. Instead, he saw his close-ranged effort cannon back of the inside of the post. And, to add insult to injury, a few moments later the offside flag was raised.

This summed up a torrid night for Ronaldo and Co, as they slipped to a second shock defeat in four days. After missing the game against Al-Ettifaq through injury, Al-Nassr’s star attraction would have been desperate to get the season back on track.

But he ended up being a hindrance to his team. It’s debatable whether he should have even played. He certainly didn’t look fit, often well off the pace of his side’s attacks and was caught offside several times. He took out his frustrations on the officials at regular intervals, but this defeat had little to do with the referee.

There’s still plenty of time for Ronaldo’s side to turn things around, but with an AFC Champions League play-off to come before their next league clash against Al-Fateh, things do not get any easier in the coming week. Grade: D

Oh dear. A far from ideal start to Al-Nassr’s title bid, but none of the blame can be laid at Ronaldo’s door as he sat out the Saudi Pro League opener through injury. It’s clear his team missed him too.

Things began well at least, with new signing Sadio Mane scoring four minutes into his league debut with a poacher’s effort. Unfortunately for Ronaldo, that was where the fun stopped, with goals from Robin Quaison and Moussa Dembele giving Steven Gerrard’s side a 2-1 victory. Grade: A