CRISTIANO Ronaldo is in line to make his Saudi Arabian debut later this month in a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain, where he will likely come up against Lionel Messi.
The 37-year-old Portuguese superstar joined Saudi Arabia Pro League club Al Nassr on a two-year deal last week after his time at Manchester United ended under acrimonious circumstances.
Ronaldo has not been able to play for Al Nassr since because he has been suspended by England’s Football Association for knocking a phone out of a young fan’s hand following Manchester United’s defeat at Everton in April.
He will serve his suspension before making his league debut for Al Nassr but he could play against PSG in a friendly next week, head coach Rudi Garcia has said.
Garcia confirmed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would also miss the league game against Al Shabab and make his official Al Nassr debut against Ettifaq on January 22.
However, Ronaldo is set to play against his long-time rival Messi’s PSG in a team made up of players from Al Nassr and Al Hilal in Riyadh on January 19.
“It (his debut) won’t be with the Al Nassr jersey. It will be a mix between Al Hilal and Al Nassr,” Garcia was quoted as saying by L’Equipe today.
“As the coach of Al Nassr, I cannot be happy with this match. For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, indeed it is a good thing. But we have a championship game three days later.
“In terms of scheduling, it could have been better thought out. But it’s not a big deal… We are in the lead, we are happy. It is a difficult championship to win, but we intend to do it.”
Garcia compared Ronaldo’s arrival in Saudi Arabia to the late Pele’s move to New York Cosmos in the 1970s, bringing the world’s attention to the little-known Saudi club who have gained more than 10 million new Instagram followers since his signing on January 1.
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