How many times have we seen it? The young lad from Lisbon, who was moulded into a man at Manchester, and eventually become the king of Madrid. The tension in the air rising as he places the ball down with the valve opening towards himself and takes those calculated steps back and a couple more to the side. The anticipation brewing within as he lets out that deep sigh. And finally, he takes his shot, maneuvering the football like its on a string. The ball dips and sways mid-air as it finds its inevitable way to the back of the net.
Cristiano Ronaldo turned the clock back for the world to witness yet again as the Portuguese forward scored from a sublime and reminiscent freekick for Al Nassr to help secure a 2-1 win against Damac.
Ronaldo, who made the entire world imitate his freekick routine over the years, was awarded the kick from over 25 yards out. Perfect striking distance for the talisman striker, as he let off a dipping blinder over the five-man defensive wall, to add one more goal to his tally in the 56th minute of the heated Saudi Pro League match.
This @Cristiano Ronaldo free kick #yallaRSL pic.twitter.com/2uPWeLay6d— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) October 21, 2023
It wasn’t merely just the freekick that was Ronaldo’s high point of the night. The 38-year-old who seems to show no sign of slowing down put on an inspiring performance, as he commanded the attack from the frontlines.
He was also a part of the goal that Brazilian Talisca scored for the Saudi side, as he played the decoy kick taker in yet another freekick that was curled in with poise and ease by the Brazilian.
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Despite the backlash he has received, Ronaldo has been undergoing a resurgence of his own in the Saudi Pro League this season.
Ronaldo has been in electric form for Al Nassr thus far this season and his latest strike takes his tally to 12 goals scored in 12 games in all competitions.
An even more blatant indicator of the influence Ronaldo has had on the club this season would be the fact that Ronaldo has only failed to score in two league games this season and that they are also the two league games he has played in that Al Nassr have failed to win in 2023/24.
Al-Nassr now sits third in the Saudi Pro League table, with seven wins, one draw, and two defeats from 10 games. Their skipper Ronaldo has come to the fore throughout the campaign and was the difference between the two sides tonight, as he continues to dazzle fans all over the world with his sustained excellence.