The U.S. Soccer Federation is finalizing details for the United States to play Portugal in a friendly in March, with Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium the likely venue, multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions told ESPN. The match, if held, would see Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo play in the U.S. for the first time since 2014 when he was here as part of Real Madrid's tour of the U.S.
Joao Felix scored a hat-trick on his Saudi Pro League debut as he led Al-Nassr to a thumping 5-0 opening-day victory over Al-Taawoun on Friday. Kingsley Coman also marked his league debut with a goal, while Cristiano Ronaldo also got in on the act to send Jorge Jesus' side to the summit of the early standings. Al-Nassr needed just seven minutes to open the scoring through Joao Felix, who was picked out by Angelo before firing a low left-footed effort into the far corner.
Cristiano Ronaldo criticized the state of Carrington, noting that nothing had changed since his last presence with the club in 2009. He expressed surprise over the outdated facilities, saying there was zero evolution since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure. He emphasized the need for a complete overhaul, as many amenities, such as the swimming pools, had ‘loose, chipped and missing tiles’, which is unacceptable for a club of Manchester United’s stature.
Al-Nassr's ambitious financial commitment of an estimated 492 million to Cristiano Ronaldo over two years illustrates the huge economic stakes involved in global football.