"Used to lose against him a lot, now I am making up for that" - Al-Hilal star on playing against Cristiano Ronaldo
Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly has insisted that he is now making up for his poor record against Cristiano Ronaldo. The former plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, while the Portuguese plies his trade with Al-Nassr.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner came up against Koulibaly on eight occasions during their time in Europe, registering seven wins and one defeat. Ronaldo won two games against the former Napoli man while playing for Real Madrid, and five of his six games while representing Juventus.
The Portuguese icon scored on three occasions in those ties, all coming during his time at Turin. The solitary defeat came in the Coppa Italia final in the 2019-20 season when I Bianconeri lost to Koulibaly's Napoli 4-2 on penalties.
However, the tables have turned since they moved to the Middle East. Cristiano Ronaldo has come up against Koulibaly on four occasions in Saudi Arabia and has lost all four games.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, the Senegal captain insisted that since joining Al-Hilal, he has been making up for his past defeats against the Portuguese.
“I have known Cristiano Ronaldo for a long time. When he was at Real Madrid and Juventus, I used to lose against him a lot, and now I am making up for that with Al Hilal,” said Koulibaly.
Kalidou Koulibaly spent eight seasons in Napoli before leaving Serie A to join Chelsea in 2022. That move proved to be a disaster with the 33-year-old playing 32 games across competitions and the Blues not winning a single trophy, finishing a lowly 12th in the Premier League.
He found his way to the Middle East a year later where won the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo in talks with Al-Nassr regarding new deal: Reports
Cristiano Ronaldo is in the final year of his contract with Al-Nassr and hasn't signed a new deal yet. The Portugal captain joined the Saudi club in December 2022 after an unceremonious exit from Manchester United.
Since then, he has appeared 78 times across competitions for the Middle Eastern club, scoring 72 goals. That includes six goals in the Arab Club Champions Cup which was deemed by FIFA as a friendly tournament.
The player has been in impeccable form this season as well, racking up eight goals and three assists from nine games across competitions. Even though he is in the final phase of his career, Ronaldo has shown no signs of slowing down.
Journalist Rudy Galetti recently reported that the superstar forward held discussions with Al-Nassr and a PIF delegation regarding a new deal before leaving for the international break. It has been mentioned that talks have been positive and there's optimism about a renewal.