Ronaldo debuts as capitain in Saudi club

Al Nassr defeated Al Ettifaq one goal to nil in Cristiano Ronaldo’s first match as captain on January 22 evening.

The Riyadh club took the lead over the away team from Dammam with a goal from Anderson Talisca in the 31st minute, Al Arabiya English reports.

Ronaldo signed a 2-1/2 year deal with Al Nassr last month, reported to be worth over 200 million euros ($216.28 million), but has had to wait to play because of a two-match ban by England’s FA for knocking a phone out of a fan’s hand in April.

The 37-year-old gave fans a reminder of his talent when he scored twice in a friendly on January 19, leading a team made up of players from Al Nassr and Al Hilal in a 5-4 defeat by Lionel Messi’s Paris St Germain in an exhibition match.

Al Nassr, who play home games at Mrsool Park stadium, are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having won the league nine times.