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Cristiano Ronaldo posted about the mood in Al-Nassr's training sessions ahead of the club's important AFC Champions League clash against Al-Fahya on Wednesday, February 21.
The Riyadh-based side beat their Saudi Pro League rivals 1-0 in the first leg of their Round of 16 away clash on February 14. It was Ronaldo's 81st-minute strike that handed Al-Nassr the advantage heading into the reverse fixture.
Posting an image of himself on a foam roller, Ronaldo wrote on Instagram, along with an emoji wearing sunglasses:
"Good vibes."
Cristiano Ronaldo and will head into the game with momentum on their side, having beaten Al Fateh 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, February 17. The Portuguese icon bagged the opener for his club in that game.
Ronaldo has been on fire this season, having notched up 26 goals and 11 assists in 27 matches across competitions. In the AFC Champions League alone, the Real Madrid legend has netted four times and provided one assist in five appearances.
Although there were question marks over the 39-year-old's fitness during the winter break, Ronaldo has returned in fine shape. A muscle problem saw him miss the much-awaited friendly against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami on February 1, with Al Nassr winning the game 6-0.
Eden Hazard slams Cristiano Ronaldo for comments on Ligue 1
Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined the Saudi Pro League in January 2023, made a bold claim by stating that the competition is better in the Middle Eastern league than in France's Ligue 1.
During the Globe Soccer Awards in January 2024, he said (via Mirror):
"To be honest I think the Saudi League is not worse than French league, in my opinion. In [the] French league I think you have two, three teams with a good level. In Saudi now I think it's more competitive. They can say whatever they want, it's just my opinion."
Eden Hazard, who recently announced retirement from professional football, believes no Saudi Arabian side would beat a top-tier French team.
Speaking on the Obi One podcast, the former Lille star said:
"I'm not agreeing with him but that's just an opinion. If you look at the league in Saudi Arabia, they have big players, it's just that they're not big teams."
"In France, maybe now they have fewer big players, but they have big teams. I'm sure if a Ligue 1 team played against a Saudi Arabian team, they would win," he added.
Hazard came up with the youth system at Lille before making 194 senior appearances for the French side, bagging 50 goals and 53 assists across competitions.
The Belgian helped Lille to the Ligue 1 and French Cup double in the 2010-11 season before joining Chelsea in the summer of 2012.
