Former Zamalek boss Patrice Carteron has given his rating of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr debut after the former Manchester United striker failed to score against the manager's current side Ettifaq on Sunday.
Ronaldo finally made his first league appearance for his new club on Sunday after serving a two-game suspension that was carried over from his time at United for damaging a fan's phone during a game against Everton last year.
Before his official debut, the 37-year-old featured in a friendly between Riyadh All-Stars and Paris Saint-Germain last Thursday, captaining the team and netting a brace for the combined Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal XI.
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However, unlike his debut for Real Madrid in 2009, Ronaldo failed to score on his highly anticipated first Saudi Pro League outing.
Al Nassr walked away with a narrow 1-0 win over Ettifaq thanks to a 31st-minute strike by Brazilian forward Talisca, a result that put them back on top of the table ahead of Al Hilal with a game in hand.
Speaking on Ronaldo's first appearance in the Saudi top flight, Ettifaq manager Carteron said it was a privilege to have the Real Madrid legend plying his trade in the Gulf league, noting that he was "dangerous" even though he does not quite appear to be match-fit just yet.
"I am very happy that he came to Saudi Arabia for the excitement of every game, and at a big club like Al Nassr," Carteron said, according to The National News.
"It's fantastic news for football here, and everyone will enjoy it and every ground should be full.
"He's a fantastic player and we were all happy to face such a player.
"He played a good game today. He did not score, but he's so dangerous.
"You can see he's still not 100%, but it's a privilege to face him – and we wish him all the best
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Al Nassr head coach Rudi Garcia, meanwhile, reflected on how the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has settled into the team.
"It's very important for the players to play normally and not always try to give the ball to Cristiano. I told them they need to make the right choices on the pitch," the Spaniard said.
"Obviously when Cristiano or Talisca are alone and asking for the ball, we need to give them the ball. These two players are able to make the difference.
"Tonight, I think that sometimes we had good positions to cross but not enough people in the box – and sometimes no Ronaldo and no Talisca.
"We need to work on that, to have one of them in the box and maybe the other playing outside the box."
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