Al-Nassr Coach Tasks Ronaldo to ‘Rediscover’ Form

Al-Nassr Head Coach, Rudi Garcia, hopes that Cristiano Ronaldo will “rediscover the pleasure of playing” when he brings a little stardust to the Saudi Arabian league.

“The only thing I wish for Ronaldo is that he rediscovers the pleasure of playing and smiles again because in recent months between Manchester United, the national team and then at a personal level he hasn’t had easy moments,” Garcia said this yesterday on the side-lines of the Dakar Rally being staged in the kingdom.

“If he finds the pleasure of playing again, that will already be a goal achieved,” added the coach who described the 37-year-old Portuguese international as a “tremendous athlete”.

Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has penned a contract until 2025 with the Saudi club in a deal worth a reported €200 million.

The former Juventus and Real Madrid star arrived in Saudi Arabia having had his contract at Manchester United ripped up after a bitter divorce.

He had also seen his dream of an elusive World Cup triumph end in the quarterfinals in neighbouring Qatar last month.

Ronaldo’s arrival at Al-Nassr, a club founded in 1955, reignited claims that the Saudis were again involved in “sports washing”, the term used to deflect attention from the kingdom’s human rights record.