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Al-Nassr fans are ecstatic as Cristiano Ronaldo starts for the team's Saudi Pro League home clash against Al Tai on Saturday, March 30.
Al-Alami are back in action for the first time for the first time since the recent international break. Ronaldo leads Luis Castro's team's attacking charge yet again. Last time out, the 39-year-old scored the winner in their 1-0 away win against Al-Ahli.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina starts against Al Tai. Alex Telles, Mohammed Al-Fatil, Ali Lajami, and Ayman Yahya are the four defenders. Otavio, Marcelo Brozovic, and Sami Al-Najei are the three midfielders. Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Sadio Mane partner Ronaldo in the attack.
The Portuguese superstar has been in exemplary form for Al-Nassr this season. He has scored 30 goals and has provided 11 assists in 33 matches across competitions. Ronaldo is also the Saudi Pro League's leading goalscorer with 23 strikes from 22 matches.
Fans are expecting yet another blockbuster outing for the superstar attacker against Al Tai. One of them wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"Captain fantastic is back to the pitch, amazing. CR7."
Al-Nassr are second in the Saudi Pro League with 56 points from 24 matches. While they trail league leaders Al-Hilal by 12 points, fans are predicting an easy outing against Al Tai with Cristiano Ronaldo starring. Here are some of the best reactions on X after Luis Castro named his first XI:
Joao Palhinha makes bold claim about Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo
Joao Cancelo recently stirred the pot with his comments about compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo. The Barcelona full-back pointed out that due to age, the veteran forward is not in his prime anymore. He further pointed out that Portugal have other superstars at the moment, meaning they don't solely depend on Ronaldo.
While Cancelo made a fair point, his comments were taken in a wrong way by many. Joao Palhinha, however, has recently claimed that Ronaldo will always have a massive impact on Portugal's team. The Fulham midfielder said (via GOATTWorld on X):
"Even at the age of 50, Cristiano will continue to have an impact on the national team. Cristiano will always be Cristiano. Just his presence in the national team creates a level of confidence in us that we would not have had if he hadn't been there."
Cristiano Ronaldo played in Portugal's friendly against Slovenia during the recent international break. Roberto Martinez's side lost the game 2-0, bringing an end to the Spaniard's perfect record as the Selecao boss. Ronaldo now aims to return to winning ways with Al-Nassr.
