WILL RONALDO MAKE HIS AL NASSR DEBUT AGAINST AL TA’EE ON JANUARY 5?

Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled on Tuesday at Mrsool Park in Riyadh at his new home, Al Nassr, barely two days before the club’s first game of 2023.

The five-time Ballon D’Or winner has agreed to a two-year contract with the Asian country, making him the highest-paid footballer in the world.

Following his presentation in front of the home crowd, the Portuguese has been involved in training sessions in preparation for Al Nassr’s home game against Al Ta’ee on Thursday.

Ronaldo stated during the press conference at the presentation ceremony on Tuesday that he is excited to make his debut for the club. He even finished his medical when he arrived at the new club.

The forward, on the other hand, may not play on Thursday. The reason for this is a two-match ban handed by England’s Football Association in November 2022 for assaulting an Everton fan while playing for Manchester United.

FIFA’s ‘Regulation on the Status and Transfer of Players’ states in section 12.1 that, “Any disciplinary sanction of up to four matches or up to three months that has been imposed on a player by the former association but not yet (entirely) served by the time of the transfer shall be enforced by the new association at which the player has been registered in order for the sanction to be served at domestic level. The previous association shall tell the new association via TMS of any such disciplinary consequence that has still to be (completely) served when issuing the ITC.”

In addition, Ronaldo was fined £150,000 for the April 2022 incident. He was supposed to serve his suspension in England, but he transferred to the new club following the World Cup.

As a result, Ronaldo will be available for selection only after serving his two-game suspension on January 21. Ettifaq will be played by Al Nassr.