"While cynics would view the move to Saudi Arabia as the opportunity to claim one last big payday as he coasted in a below-par league, Ronaldo himself believed he could be the catalyst to transform the entire profile of the competition and elevate it to new heights. Add in the possibility of some more goalscoring records and yet more silverware and it's easy to see why the move appealed to him."
"Former Villarreal and Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez was at Al Nassr when Ronaldo signed for the club and says his side, who were then managed by French boss Rudi Garcia, didn't have to drastically adapt their team's style of play to accommodate the forward. It didn't change much, Gonzalez tells FourFourTwo. Before Cristiano joined Al Nassr, we had a striker, Vincent Aboubakar, who was tall, a classic number nine. The team's philosophy remained the same Cristiano went straight into that role."
Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr in 2023 aiming to transform Saudi football's profile, add goalscoring records, and win more silverware. He has won only one trophy in Saudi Arabia, the Arab Club Champions Cup in August 2023. Alvaro Gonzalez said Al Nassr did not drastically change its style to accommodate Ronaldo; the team already had a classic number nine in Vincent Aboubakar and Ronaldo took that same role. Al Nassr competed for the league but finished second, qualified for the Asian Champions League, where Ronaldo scored six goals in eight games yet the team exited on penalties to Al Ain and again finished 14 points behind the league leader.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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