“That’s why Ronaldo is always offside” - Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr teammates blamed by analyst who highlights problem among players
Saudi Arabian analyst Imad Al-Saimi pointed out a key reason behind Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo being offside frequently this season. In a post on Twitter, he suggested that the local players do not play the ball at the right moment to the Portuguese superstar.
He went on to compare their abilities to that of fellow attacker Otavio. The 29-year-old seems to enjoy a stronger connection with his countryman, highlighting the difference.
Al-Saimi said:
“The local players play the ball late & that’s why Ronaldo is always offside, meanwhile Otavio is fast to pass the ball & Ronaldo gets it at the right time.”
Despite this, Ronaldo has shone for Al-Nassr this season. He leads the Saudi Pro League with 29 goals along with 10 assists in just 26 appearances. Otavio has performed well for the side as well since joining in the summer from Porto, scoring seven goals and setting up four more in 25 games.
However, it has not proven to be enough as the side find themselves a considerable way behind Al-Hilal in the title race. Al-Hilal are nine points ahead with a game in hand over their rivals and with just six games to go, it remains highly unlikely that they will slip up in their pursuit for the title.
Cristiano Ronaldo's demands to work under former Manchester United manager revealed
Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly claimed that he would play only four out of every five games at Manchester United under former manager Ralf Rangnick. According to German outlet Bild, he also suggested that he would not travel with the team for the game he would miss.
The 39-year-old made a sensational comeback to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021 under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, the Norwegian was dismissed soon, with Rangnick hired to oversee the remainder of the campaign.
Ronaldo eventually left Manchester United by mutual termination of contract in December 2022. In a fiery interview with Piers Morgan, he lambasted the club for not making any progress since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure. Critically, he pointed out Rangnick's hire as surprising, saying:
"For example, we have an interesting point that, how the club as Manchester United after they sack Ole, they bring in sports director Rangnick, which is something that nobody understands.
"This guy is not even a coach. A bigger club like Manchester United bringing in a sports director - it surprised not only me but all the world, you know? Of course, in my opinion."
He ended up joining Al-Nassr later, with Rangnick currently serving as the head coach of the Austrian national team.