Former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo wished his Al-Nassr teammates all the best in an Instagram post ahead of their first fixture since he officially joined the club last week.
The 37-year-old, who was released by United in late-November in the aftermath of his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, has joined the Saudi Arabian club on a two-and-a-half-year deal, bringing speculation about his future to an end. He has put pen to paper on a lucrative, big-money contract, meaning he will reportedly earn a whopping £177million-a-year.
The Portuguese international, who had scored just three goals for United this season prior to his exit, slammed United and manager Erik ten Hag during his interview with Morgan, so much that he claimed the latter had 'no respect' for him. United have since won every game since he left the club.
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But despite Ronaldo's arrival at Al-Nassr generating a wave of excitement in Saudi Arabia, his new crop of supporters are being forced to wait just that little while longer than they would like to see him make his debut. That is because the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is still serving a ban handed down to him by the English Football Association, in relation to an incident that saw him knock a phone out of the hands of a young Everton supporter after the Toffees' 1-0 win over the Reds at Goodison Park last April.
Ronaldo was slapped with a two-game ban and FIFA rules state that any suspension given by national associations are still upheld - even if a player seals a move to a different country - before they have had a chance to serve the suspension. It means that he will miss each of Al-Nassr's first two scheduled fixtures since he joined the club, including Friday's delayed clash with Al-Ta'ee.
Al-Nassr were supposed to lock horns with Al-Ta'ee on Thursday, but the contest was pushed back a day because of an electrical fault, caused by a rainstorm, at their Mrsool Park stadium. Ronaldo will also miss the clash with Al Shabab on January 14.
With the striker facing a patient wait to make his bow for his new club, he will be forced to take up a watching brief. Nevertheless, he sent a message of support to his new colleagues on Friday afternoon ahead of the meeting with Al-Ta'ee.
On Instagram, the former United man wrote: "Good luck, team."
Ronaldo, who scored 24 goals last season, following his fairytale return to Old Trafford from Juventus, made the decision to join Al-Nassr because he believes his work in Europe, following a trophy-laden career, is complete.
"In Europe, my work is done; I won everything, I played at the most important clubs in Europe and for me now, it's a new challenge," Ronaldo said at his official unveiling earlier this week. "This is a great opportunity. Nobody knows this but I had many opportunities in Europe, many clubs in Brazil, in Australia, in the US and even in Portugal."
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