Cristiano Ronaldo marked his first match for Al Nassr since walking out on Portugal‘s camp last week by scoring his 980th career goal on Friday.
The 41-year-old left Portugal’s squad after he was an unused substitute in the side’s 2-1 UEFA Nations League win away at Norway on Sept. 27, later saying that coach Jorge Jesus broke his word to him.
– Ronaldo’s Portugal walkout is nothing new; he has a long history of rows with coaches
While the saga may have divided Portugal, Al Nassr fans made clear where their loyalty lies and gave Ronaldo a warm reception on his return to Saudi Pro League action. A huge banner unfurled before kickoff read “greatness is earned” together with Ronaldo’s famed number seven, while fans chanted his named in the seventh minute.
And Ronaldo gave them more to cheer about when he opened the scoring against Al Diriyah in the 23rd minute. The forward gleefully swept home a rebound after a long run from former Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman ended with a shot that Al Diriyah goalkeeper Waleed Ali failed to hold.
Another Portugal international, Samú Costa, extended Al Nassr’s advantage in the 35th minute before Coman made sure of the three points in the 77th.
The win puts Al Nassr level on points with Al Qadsiah at the top of the standings, though with multiple teams below them still to play this weekend.
Ronaldo, who has scored a record 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal, said in a statement earlier this week that he will remain available for the national team, though it remains to be seen whether he will be punished for walking out on the squad.
