"Good to be back" - Cristiano Ronaldo reacts as he returns to Al-Nassr team training
Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo reacted as he returned to training at his club. The 39-year-old had been on vacation following his involvement with Portugal at Euro 2024.
It wasn't a great campaign for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in Germany. That's because Ronaldo went scoreless in five games, marking the first time in 11 major tournament appearances in his illustrious career that he drew a blank, as Portugal lost to France in the quarterfinal on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.
Although he became the first player to appear in six Euros, record the joint-most assists (eight) in competition history, and score in four Euro shootouts, he failed to become the first to score in six Euros and also become the oldest-ever scorer.
Three weeks later, Ronaldo is back in training at Al-Nassr. Sharing a few pictures of himself arriving at the club's training, he posted on Instagram:
"Good to be back"
The Knights of Najd take on Spanish side Granada on Sunday (August 4) and Almeria on Tuesday (August 8) before opening their campaign in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final with Al-Taawoun on August 14.
While Ronaldo will reportedly not play the first game, he's expected to feature in the other before his side open their 2024-25 campaign.
A look at Cristiano Ronaldo's 2023-24 season with Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo had an impressive first full season in Saudi Arabian football with Al-Nassr, whom he had joined on a free transfer in December 2022 after two decades in European football.
In 45 games across competitions, the 39-year-old registered an impressive 44 goals and 13 assists. That includes a record 35 strikes (and 11 assists) in 31 games in the Saudi Pro League, where Ronaldo's side finished runners-up for the second straight year.
The Portugal captain also struck six times and provided an assist in eight games in his debut AFC Champions League campaign, as Al-Nassr lost on penalties to Al-Ain in the quarter-finals.