The next Cristiano Ronaldo already in Saudi Arabia

Stuart Telford

• 22 Jan 2023 08:58 GMT
• 3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make his official debut for Al Nassr against Al Ittifaq on Sunday, but his successor is already strutting his stuff in Saudi Arabia…

Ronaldo completed his move to Al Nassr on 1 January, and has played his first game in Saudi Arabia, scoring in a 5-4 loss for a Riyadh Season Team XI against Lionel Messi's PSG in a glamour friendly.

And his son, Cristiano Jr. is already getting down to work, training at the Mahd Academy, the Saudi national sports centre in their new hometown of Riyadh.

READ: Messi and Ronaldo league rivals again? Saudi clubs to offer PSG star €350m contract

The 12-year-old was previously in Manchester United's youth academy but left at the same time his father did, in light of the explosive interview he gave to Piers Morgan in which he slammed the Glazer family ownership, manager Erik ten Hag and more.

No more Madrid

While Ronaldo had been angling for a return to Real Madrid, father and son were training in the Spanish capital, and Cristiano Jr. had reportedly signed for Madrid's youth academy, but he has since followed him to Saudi Arabia.

The Mahd Academy is the centre for elite Saudi sporting talent from the age of six, with children educated across a range of sports.

READ: Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr: Goals, assists, results & fixtures

Ronaldo has had to wait for his competitive debut, meanwhile, having picked up a two game ban for hitting a phone out of a supporter's hand when he scored his final United goal - and 700th of his club career - in a 2-1 win at Everton in October.

His United career came to its acrimonious end soon after that incident, but the ban carried over irrespective of what league he played in.

Ronaldo has signed a contract worth €200 million until 2025 with Al Nassr, making him the best-paid footballer of all time.