Portuguese football legend, Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned from making his debut today (Thursday) for the Al Nassr football club, following his mega-money move to the Saudi Arabian league.
The move came after his premature exit from Manchester United.
Prior to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the 37-year-old gave a stunning interview where he discussed his time at Old Trafford, hitting out at the owners and managers Erik ten Hag and Ralf Rangnick.
The ex-Real Madrid forward is set for a whole new journey in the Middle East after penning an enormous two-year deal for Al Nassr.
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He is set to earn a staggering £173 million a year, making him the highest-paid sportsperson in the world. Ronaldo touched down in Riyadh on Monday to undergo a medical checkup ahead of completing his move.
The football star also fielded questions from the media, claiming he had received ‘many opportunities’ from different clubs in Europe. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner took part in an open training session with his new teammates, as he showed off his finishing skills in a drill.
But the star won’t be able to make his debut today when his new team face Al-Ta’ee, according to the Daily Mail. He is ineligible to make his debut as he is yet to serve a ban for a previous misdemeanour while at Man United.
The Portuguese picked up a two-game ban and was fined by the FA following an incident with a young Everton fan at Goodison Park.
The ban carries onto his new club and prevents him from starring for Al Nassr until they have played two competitive games that he would have been available for.
The former Juventus player could be in line to make his Al Nassr bow on January 21 against Ettifaq.
