Asia

Ronaldo taunted with "Messi" chants after Al Nassr knocked out of Saudi Super Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr were knocked of the Saudi Super Cup on Thursday after a 3-1 semifinal loss to Al Ittihad in Riyadh.

The 37-year-old Portugal international, five-times Ballon d'Or winner, had a couple of chances to score but was well shackled by the Al Ittihad defense for most of the match.

Anderson Talisca's goal for Al Nassr in the 67th minute was not enough to turn around the deficit from two first-half goals for Al Ittihad from Romarinho and Abderrazak Hamdallah. Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti added the third three minutes into stoppage time.

Cristiano Ronaldo fails to score on hugely anticipated debut

RIYADH - Anderson Talisca earned Al Nassr a 1-0 home win over Al Ettifaq on Sunday, but the fans that turned up to Mrsool Park in droves to see Cristiano Ronaldo in action were left disappointed after he was unable to mark his Saudi Pro league debut with a goal.

Ronaldo signed a 2-1/2 year deal with Al Nassr last month, reported to be worth over $216.28 million, but has had to wait to play because of a two-match ban by England's FA for knocking a phone out of a fan's hand in April.

Here are the 2023 Women’s World Cup stadiums in AUS/NZ from smallest to biggest

Australia and New Zealand have a big summer ahead of them as the two neighbors will host the Women’s World Cup for the first time in history. Here’s a look at the 2023 Women’s World Cup stadiums that will host the 32 teams competing in the tournament.

New Zealand will have four stadiums while Australia gets six. Here’s how it looks on the map.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored two vs. PSG but this filthy nutmeg should’ve been worth a third

Paris Saint-Germain and the Riyadh All-Stars put on a magnificent show on Thursday as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos and Kylian Mbappé all found the back of the net in PSG's 5-4 victory. The stars showed out and one Ronaldo nutmeg vs PSG received enormous applause from the fans inside King Fahad International Stadium.

Meaningless friendly emphasizes how Messi and Ronaldo should never be allowed to retire

The lasting feeling from Thursday's 5-4 friendly between PSG and a Riyadh All-Star XI in Saudi Arabia is that Cristiano Ronaldo, on the verge of his 38th birthday, and Lionel Messi, 35, could play forever. Neymar, 30, looks like he's got a year or two left in him.

It was Ronaldo who scored Riyadh's first two goals while Messi opened the scoring for PSG in the third-minute. Both provided moments of dazzling skill, much to the delight of the businessman who paid $2.66 million for a single ticket.

Messi opens the scoring off Neymar's pass

Ronaldo to captain his squad against Messi, Mbappé, Neymar and PSG

A new chapter in the celebrated rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will unfurl on Thursday when they meet in an exhibition match as the Portugal forward gears up for his first game in Saudi Arabia since joining Al Nassr.

After a glittering career in Europe that saw him win four Champions League titles with Real Madrid and two Scudettos at Juventus, Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr, describing it as the "right moment" to share his experience in Asia.

Watch all 11 Puskás Award finalists right here, right now

I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast, but if you've been following The18 for the past year then you've already seen all 11 FIFA Puskas Award nominees. We have exquisite taste like that. 

But in case you can't remember the strikes — arriving as early as Apr. 2 and as late as Kylian Mbappé's side-volley against Argentina in the World Cup final on Dec. 18 — here's a trip down memory lane with videos that you can watch right here, right now. I've also included a link to what The18 said at the time.

Ronaldo didn’t make his Al Nassr debut Friday and it was easy to tell by all the empty seats

Cristiano Ronaldo was not included in Al Nassr's squad for Friday's Saudi Professional League match against Al Tai, amid media reports that the Portugal forward was going to make his debut despite having a two-match suspension.

The 37-year-old will miss his first two domestic games for the Saudi Arabian club after being suspended by England's Football Association (FA) for knocking a phone out of a fan's hand after Manchester United's defeat at Everton in April.

Ronaldo officially unveiled as Al Nassr player to thousands of adoring fans

RIYADH - Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo said his "work is done" in Europe, adding that he is relishing new challenges both on and off the pitch after being unveiled as a player of Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on Tuesday.

Ronaldo, who was a free agent following his acrimonious split with Manchester United in November, joined Al Nassr last week on a two-and-a-half-year deal estimated by media to be worth more than $210.94 million.

He was greeted by a sea of yellow and blue at Al Nassr's home ground Mrsool Park, where thousands of fans turned up to witness his unveiling.

The details of how close Sporting Kansas City came to signing Ronaldo are crazy

When Cristiano Ronaldo signed a two and a half year deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on Friday, the Portuguese legend put pen to paper on a contract worth $75 million annually, meaning he'll almost certainly still be the world's highest paid footballer when he turns 40 on Feb. 5, 2025. 

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