On a day when Al Nassr were being pummeled by Benfica, Cristiano Ronaldo beckoned on manager Luis Castro to let him play on for five extra minutes.
The Knights of Najd were being smashed 3-1 in the encounter while the incident occurred and the architect of the destruction was Ronaldo’s former teammate, Angel Di Maria.
This is the second time in less than a week that Al Nassr were being annihilated by European oppositions.
On Monday, July 17, 2023 the Saudi Pro League runners up received a 5-0 thrashing from Spanish side Celta Vigo and fast-forward to Thursday, July 20, 2023 they received a 4-1 bashing from Portuguese club Benfica.
Ronaldo’s request from fellow compatriot Luis Castro to offer him five more minutes in the encounter might be interpreted differently by people.
Cristiano Ronaldo request to play on for five minutes, how has it been perceived?
Some might feel it’s an overbearing nature of the Portuguese star while others might term it as being passionate.
Definitely, Ronaldo is the team’s most important player. He presumably may have wanted to chart the course of the club in the encounter towards greatness.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s gesticulation happened in the 67th minute of the encounter and with the unpredictability of football, he might have wanted to help his side effect a change in the clash.
However, due to reports indicating that he had an influence in the appointment of Luis Castro, some might read meanings into his actions and deem it inappropriate.
The Portuguese went on to play up until the 84th minute of the clash, before he was substituted by manager Luis Castro, which means that the coach obeyed his call for more game time.
The 5-time Ballon d’Or winner joined Al Nassr in December 2022 and has eschewed his immeasurable influence in Saudi Arabia.
From providing the goals for his side to helping boost the visibility of the league to foreigners, the influence of Cristiano Ronaldo has continued to show forth.
The arrival of the Portugal International has also resulted in the subsequent arrival of other top stars to the Pro League.
Ronaldo has scored 14 goals and provided 2 assists in 19 appearances for Al Nassr, since he joined the club in December 2022.
Those stats definitely look impressive, although the first season of his arrival didn’t result in the Saudi Arabian side winning any trophy whatsoever.
Anyway, Al Nassr are making needed signings that would strengthen their squad in staging an assault on the Saudi Pro League next term.
With the recruitment made by other teams in the league, the Saudi Arabia top-flight division will be more competitive next season.
Angel Di Maria was magical against Al Nassr
Meanwhile, Di Maria was the star of the show on Thursday, July 20, 2023 as he troubled the Al Nassr side all through the game.
The Argentine’s return to his first European club has started on a good note as he has scored in the past two games for Benfica.
He netted the opener against Basel on the 16th of July, 2023 assisting his side to a 3-1 victory over the Swiss side.
In the subsequent game which is coincidentally the clash with Al Nassr, he also opened the scoring on the 23rd minute of the game helping his side to a 4-1 victory.
He was devastating on the night controlling the affair of the game and one highlight from the clash was when Di Maria dribbled Ronaldo by chipping the ball over the Al Nassr captain before he was hauled to the turf.
Apparently, it was seemingly a day where Ronaldo’s past or present teammates were the one responsible for compounding the woes on Al Nassr.
His international teammate Goncalo Ramos netted a brace on the 31st and 36th minute, before Andreas Schjelderup put the final nail on the coffin.
Al Nassr still have Paris Saint Germain to play this preseason, in what will be a second meeting for Cristiano Ronaldo against the side in 2023, having netted a brace in the first meeting in January 2023.
After PSG, they then round up their preseason affair with a clash on the 27th of July, 2023 against Inter Milan.
Luis Castro’s side first game for the 2023/24 season is against Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq on the 14th of August, 2023.
