Ronaldo makes long-awaited Saudi Pro League debut for Al Nassr
Al JazeeraThe 37-year-old Portuguese forward failed to score but his Riyadh-based club beat Ettifaq 1-0 to go top of the table. Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo has made a winning start to life in the Saudi Pro League as he led Al Nassr to a 1-0 victory over Ettifaq in his first match, despite failing to score. On Thursday, Ronaldo played for a combined XI from Al Nassr and Al Hilal in an exhibition game against a Paris Saint-Germain team featuring old foe Lionel Messi. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund owns Premier League team Newcastle, and the country is considering a bid to host the 2030 World Cup. While Saudi Arabia earned its biggest international football win ever at the World Cup in neighbouring Qatar when it beat eventual champion Argentina in its first group-stage game, its domestic league has few other stars and is not watched by a major international audience.