All eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo when he makes his Al Nassr debut.
Or will they?
In this last couple of days of 2022, the 37-year-old’s move to Saudi Arabia was confirmed.
It came a month and eight days after his contract was mutually terminated at Manchester United following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
Now, a new challenge — if you can call it that — awaits Ronaldo.
GO DEEPER
What awaits Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League?
His biggest fans will be desperate to see him back in action, but will they be able to? The Athletic has all the answers.
When will Cristiano Ronaldo make his Al Nassr debut?
Firstly, let’s look at when the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could play his first game for his new club.
He arrived in Riyadh on Monday evening and his official unveiling will take place on Tuesday afternoon at Mrsool Park, the home of Al Nassr.
Their next game might come too soon for Ronaldo as they are in action against Al Ta’ee on Thursday, January 5.
With that being a home fixture, those in charge would love to have their superstar signing available but, for a couple of reasons, it might not be wise to rush him in.
Despite featuring for Portugal at the World Cup a few weeks ago, Ronaldo is likely to be lacking match fitness. Coupled with the fact he will only have a day’s worth of training with his new team-mates, it might make more sense to hold him back slightly.
Even so, it would not be a shock for him to make an appearance, even if just from the bench.
The next, and most likely, opportunity to see Ronaldo in Saudi Pro League action comes more than a week later.
A top of the table clash between league leaders Al Nassr and second-placed Al Shabab takes place on Saturday, January 14. Not only is it a match that will have major implications on the title race but it is also the Riyadh derby.
Unfortunately for Al Nassr supporters, they will have to wait even longer to see Ronaldo play at Mrsool Park. A week after the game against Al Shabab, they face Ettifaq at home.
Will any of those games be available to watch on TV?
Well, that all depends on where you live.
Unless you live in the Middle East or north Africa, you will not be able to watch Ronaldo in action for Al Nassr.
There are no broadcasters in the UK or the US with rights to any of the Saudi competitions. CBS do have the appropriate rights for the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup but they are not currently competitions that Al Nassr are involved in.
Given their strong start to the campaign, that looks set to change next season. But, for now, fans across most of the world will have to settle for highlights.
The Saudi Pro League’s official Twitter account tends to be quite good at posting clips and other content from the matches so it’s worth keeping an eye out on there once Ronaldo starts to feature.
Source: Theathletic
