Cristiano Ronaldo endures night to forget in Champions League

Despite the influx of new signings in the Saudi Pro League over the summer, there is still one player fans want to see in action more than any other: Cristiano Ronaldo. Having arrived at Al-Nassr in January, the Portuguese superstar is ready to embark on a full campaign with the club for the first time.

Ronaldo and his new team came up short in the title race last season, and so he will be determined not to let that happen again. Factor in the famous faces that have now joined him in the league who will be aiming to outshine the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, and Ronaldo should be even more keen to ensure he remains top dog in his new home.

GOAL is here, then, to ensure you don't miss out on any of Ronaldo's displays during his first full season in the Middle East, as we will be casting our eye over and giving an evaluation on how he fares in each of his outings in 2023-24.

A far from-ideal display from Ronaldo as Al-Nassr got their Champions League campaign underway. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner looked lost on a day where his side barely scraped by 10-man Iranian side Persepolis. Ronaldo took just one shot in the entire match and completed zero successful dribbles.

It was one of those nights for the 38-year-old, who never found his footing and proved to be more of a hindrance to his sides' attack rather than an asset. He won just two of his seven ground duels and more often than not found himself looking for a foul than continuing the play due to either being beaten or having the ball taken off him.

Persepolis were reduced to 10-men early in the second-half, which allowed Nassr to capitalise with two goals of their own, but Ronaldo played no part in either strike. Despite playing the full 90 minutes, he only had 27 touches of the ball and completed just 12 accurate passes. He was then subbed off in second-half stoppage time. Grade: C-