“I am happy” - Cristiano Ronaldo affirms his commitment to Al-Nassr following their shock defeat to Al-Raed
Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted he's happy at Al-Nassr despite Luis Castro's side losing ground in the Saudi Pro League title race.
Castro's Al-Alami suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Al-Raed at the Al-Awwal Stadium on Thursday (March 7). Ronaldo returned to action after serving a one-game suspension but failed to inspire his team to victory.
The defeat leaves Al-Nassr 12 points behind Al-Hilal in the race for the Saudi Pro League title. They have 11 games left to try and turn things around but their title rivals are in scintillating form, unbeaten in the league.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, has just over a year left on his contract having arrived in Saudi in January 2023. His future has been the subject of speculation but the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is adamant he's satisfied with life in the Middle East (via transfer expert Fabrizio Romano):
"I am happy to be in Saudi Arabia, absolutely happy."
The current Saudi Pro League top scorer highlighted that his team are still alive in all competitions:
"I’m happy to represent Al Nassr and for me our season is positive because we have had a chance until now in all tournaments."
Cristiano Ronaldo has been rolling back the years at Al-Awwal. He's posted 28 goals and 11 assists in 31 games across competitions this season.
Al-Nassr have fallen behind in the title race but are in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League. Castro's men hold a 1-0 lead on aggregate against UAE outfit Al-Ain heading into the second leg tomorrow (March 11).
Al-Alami are also in the semifinals of the Saudi Super Cup where they'll meet Al-Hilal. That clash occurs on April 9 and they can get one over their title rivals.
Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo missed Anthony Joshua's heavyweight clash against Francis Ngannou
Cristiano Ronaldo is a huge boxing fan and has attended many boxing bouts during his time in Saudi Arabia. He's forged a close bond with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou.
However, Ronaldo wasn't in attendance to watch Ngannou get knocked out by British heavyweight Anthony Joshua on Saturday (March 9). That fight took place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi, and footballing stars such as Jose Mourinho and Ronaldo Nazario watched on.
Ronaldo had an exclusive 'CR7' seat designated to him but didn't appear at the arena. The five-time UEFA Champions League winner hinted that he prioritized training with Al-Nassr on Saturday morning ahead of their clash with Al-Ain on Monday.
The Portugal captain posted on social media a few snaps of himself training. He captioned them (via GOAL):
"No days off."
Ronaldo missed Ngannou getting knocked out for the first time during his career. Joshua floored the Cameroonian with a powerful knockout punch in the second round.