“I’m discovering a boy who is no longer young” - Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli shares ‘surprise’ on working with Cristiano Ronaldo
Al-Nassr boss Stefano Pioli has lavished praise on his superstar captian Cristiano Ronaldo for his child-like passion despite being 39. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been with the side since December 2022.
Meanwhile, Pioli arrived at Mrsool Park in September after previous boss Luis Castro was shown the boot after an underwhelming start to the season. The former AC Milan manager has won 11 of 17 games in charge across competitions with the Saudi Pro League giants, losing four.
Having watched Ronaldo from close quarters for a while, Pioli told the Saudi Pro League website (via GOAL):
“Of course, I have always thought that Cristiano is a great champion. But above all, a great professional with a great work ethic, a great culture of always trying to express oneself to the maximum. And, therefore, I am discovering a boy who is no longer young, but with the same enthusiasm, with the same passion.
“As when he was a kid, he wanted to do things in wanting to always try to give the best, to reach the maximum, to score many goals and help the team. So, definitely, a pleasant surprise.”
Ronaldo and Co. are coming off a 2-1 Saudi Pro League defeat at leaders Al-Ittihad at the weekend, with Ronaldo scoring in the loss. The defeat dropped them to fourth in the standings after 13 games, trailing the table-toppers Al-Ittihad by 11 points.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared for Al-Nassr this season?
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a decent start to his second full season with Al-Nassr, registering 16 goals and three assists in 19 games across competitions. Most of those goal contributions - 10 goals and two assists in 12 games - have come in the league.
However, after finishing second in the last two seasons, Pioli's side have fallen to fourth following their loss at leaders Al-Ittihad at the weekend despite Ronaldo scoring in his third straight league game.
His latest strike took the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's career tally for club and country to 916. That includes 80 strikes for Al-Nassr, with six of them coming in the unofficial Arab Club Champions Cup.
Ronaldo enjoyed a 44-goal first full season with the Knights of Najd, including a record 36 strikes in the Saudi Pro League, breaking the league's single-season scoring record. He had finished 2023 with 54 goals for club and country, the most by any player. But his exploits couldn't earn him a Ballon d'Or nomination.