Cristiano Ronaldo scored on his return to club football as Al-Nassr defeated Diriyah, with supporters displaying a banner backing the Portuguese forward following his recent dispute with the national team.
The 41-year-old opened the scoring after 23 minutes, converting a rebound after Kingsley Coman’s initial effort was saved. The goal came during Ronaldo’s first club appearance since leaving Portugal’s national team camp midway through the recent international break.
Before kick-off, Al-Nassr supporters unveiled a large banner celebrating the veteran forward. It read: “Greatness is earned, CR7, all-time top scorer in football history.”
Ronaldo’s departure from the Portugal camp followed his omission from the starting line-up against Norway, where he remained an unused substitute. He later insisted that he had not retired from international football but accused Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, his former manager at Al-Nassr, of an “absolute breach of trust”.
Despite the controversy, Ronaldo received strong backing from Al-Nassr supporters, who have continued to celebrate his achievements during his time in Saudi Arabia. His goal against Diriyah was reported as the 980th of his professional career across spells with Portugal, Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo is now pursuing the milestone of becoming the first player to score 1,000 goals in official matches. The forward has also scored 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal, holding the men’s international records for both goals and caps.
Al-Nassr extended their lead when Samu Costa headed in a corner delivered by Joao Felix. Coman then completed the scoring in the 77th minute, running through to add the team’s third goal.
The victory offered Ronaldo a positive return to club action after the international dispute, although questions remain over his relationship with Portugal’s coaching setup and his future involvement with the national team.
