Warm welcome and early goal
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to action for Al Nassr on Friday and marked the occasion by scoring his 980th career goal. The 41 year old forward opened the scoring in the 23rd minute of their match against Al Diriyah. He gleefully swept home a rebound after former Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman made a long run and took a shot that Al Diriyah goalkeeper Waleed Ali failed to hold.
Al Nassr fans made it very clear where their loyalty lies during the game. They gave Ronaldo a warm reception on his return to Saudi Pro League action. A huge banner unfurled before kickoff read "greatness is earned" along with his famed number seven. The fans also chanted his name loud in the seventh minute of the match.
Portugal drama and team performance
The scoring performance came shortly after Ronaldo walked out on Portugal's national team camp last week. He left the squad after he was an unused substitute in Portugal's 2-1 UEFA Nations League victory away at Norway on Sept. 27. Ronaldo later explained his decision by saying that Portugal coach Jorge Jesus broke his word to him.
Despite the disagreement with his national team coach, Ronaldo helped Al Nassr secure all three points on Friday. Another Portugal international, Samú Costa, extended Al Nassr's advantage by scoring in the 35th minute. Coman then made sure of the victory by scoring the third goal in the 77th minute.
The win puts Al Nassr level on points with Al Qadsiah at the top of the Saudi Pro League standings, although multiple teams below them still have games to play this weekend.
National team future
Ronaldo holds an impressive record for his country, having scored 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal. In a statement released earlier this week, the forward confirmed that he will remain available for the national team moving forward.
However, it remains to be seen whether the veteran forward will face any punishment from the team management for walking out on the squad during their international duties.
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