Al-Khaleej forward Fabio Martins receives shirt from Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring against Al-Nassr
Al-Khaleej forward Fabio Martins received Cristiano Ronaldo's shirt after scoring against Al-Nassr in the recent 1-1 draw in the Saudi Pro League. Martins scored in the fourth minute before Alvaro Gonzalez equalized for Al-Nassr in the 17th minute.
Fabio Martins is a Portuguese forward who played for Liga Portugal club SC Braga earlier in his career. He has scored seven goals and provided one assist in 16 matches for Al-Khaleej across competitions this season.
Given that Cristiano Ronaldo is his compatriot, it is understandable why Martins would have wanted to keep his shirt as a memento. Fabio Martins is not the only opposition team member who has received a Ronaldo shirt in recent weeks.
After Al-Nassr defeated Al-Raed by a score of 4-0 on April 28, Al-Raed coach Marius Sumudica was spotted with the 38-year-old's jersey. Sumudica revealed that he didn't ask for the shirt; rather, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner gave it to him.
Speaking to Liga Digisport, the Romanian coach said:
"I want to mention that I did not ask for Ronaldo's shirt. I spoke with him for almost two minutes at halftime, before the second half. The sporting director I had when I was playing in Madeira, Joao Camacho, was Mendes' right-hand man at the company that managed Cristiano."
He added:
"He remembered this: some of my colleagues there and wanted to remind me of that shirt. If I was going to ask for it, I didn't wait until the end of the match because I was sure that other players in my team would ask for it. He wanted to give it to me, so he didn't give it to anyone."
Cristiano Ronaldo came close to scoring after Fabio Martins' goal
While Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't find the back of the net against Al-Khaleej, he was very close to scoring on multiple occasions. The Portuguese saw one of his efforts ruled out for offside.
In the 80th minute, Ronaldo went through defenders with a mazy run from outside the box. He expertly made a bit of space for himself to get his shot away from inside the area. However, the effort was just a whisker away from the goal.
Al-Nassr now trail Al-Itthad by five points as a result of their draw. They have 57 points from 26 matches. Cristiano Ronaldo and co. would need a miracle to win the SPL.