“We will see when he scores some goals against you” - Cristiano Ronaldo’s son warned Al-Hilal superstar before Al-Nassr clash, player confirms
Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou clarified that Cristiano Ronaldo’s son warned him before the former's side faced the Portuguese icon's Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
Previously, Ronaldo and the Morocco international played against each other in La Liga when the five-time Ballon d'Or winner represented Real Madrid. At the time, Bounou played for Spanish outfit Girona before he moved to Sevilla in 2020.
From their three meetings for club and country, the Al-Hilal shot-stopper has ended up on the winning side twice, while the ex-Real Madrid man has won just once. While playing in Spain, Bounou revealed the conversation he had with Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. after a 6-3 La Liga loss against Los Blancos in March 2018.
He said (via CristianoXtra):
"Cristiano Ronaldo is currently one of my best friends, I remember that he scored 4 goals against me at the Bernabeu. After the match, he was with his son and his son said to me, 'My father scored four goals against you.'"
The two players will now meet again, with both representing their respective Saudi Pro League sides. Revealing that Ronaldo's son has warned him ahead of Al-Hilal's Al-Nassr clash, the goalkeeper said:
"His son, after he grew up, also told me in Saudi Arabia, 'Bono, we will see when my father scores some goals against you.'"
Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal will meet in the Saudi Arabian top tier on December 1. Currently, the 38-year-old striker and his side are placed second in the league standings, four points behind the Riyadh-based side, who sit at the top of the table.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared since moving to the Saudi Pro League?
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first of many high-profile European stars to venture into Saudi Arabian football. The ex-Juventus man decided to complete a move to Al-Nassr in January 2023 after a fallout with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and a mutual contract termination.
Since arriving in the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo has seemed at his best, finding the net with regularity. In the 2022-23 season, the former Red Devils striker bagged 14 goals and two assists across all competitions in 19 appearances.
The Portuguese sensation has continued his rich vein of form this campaign, where he's already bagged 16 goals and nine assists in 17 appearances across competitions.
Ronaldo is likely to feature in Al-Nassr's next league match against Al-Akhdoud on Friday, November 24.