AL-NASSR COACH WANTS RONALDO TO ‘REDISCOVER PLEASURE OF PLAYING’

When Cristiano Ronaldo adds a little star power to the Saudi Arabian league, Rudi Garcia, the coach of Al-Nassr, hopes that Ronaldo will “rediscover the pleasure of playing.”

“The only thing I wish for Ronaldo is that he rediscovers the joy of playing and smiles again,” Garcia said on the sidelines of the Dakar Rally taking place in the kingdom on Sunday. “In recent months, between Manchester United, the national team, and then at a personal level, he hasn’t had easy moments.”

The coach, who called the 37-year-old Portuguese international a “tremendous athlete,” continued, “If he finds the pleasure of playing again, that will already be a goal achieved.”

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo has signed a contract with the Saudi club through 2025 for an estimated 200 million euros.

The former star of Juventus and Real Madrid, whose contract at Manchester United was terminated following a contentious divorce, arrived in Saudi Arabia.

In the quarterfinals of the nearby Qatar World Cup last month, he had also seen his dream of an elusive World Cup victory come to an end.

The arrival of Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, a 1955-founded club, reignited allegations that Saudi Arabia was once more engaging in “sportswashing,” a term used to divert attention from the country’s human rights record.