Manchester United's wage bill dropped by £5m between October and December 2022 following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
14.03.2023 - 21:15 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Cristiano Ronaldo once again cut a frustrated figure in his latest outing for Al-Nassr despite their 3-1 victory over Abha to reach the last four of the King Cup.
Sami Al Najei opened the scoring for Al-Nassr inside 10 seconds, before Abdullah Al Khaibari doubled their advantage midway through the first half. Mohammed Maran took full advantage of a goalkeeping error to add a third and effectively end the tie as a contest, before Abdulfattah Adam netted a consolation goal 20 minutes later.
But, Ronaldo's theatrics once again took centre stage just days after he lashed out at a water bottle lying pitchside amid supporters booing and taunting him with chants of 'Messi!'
This time Ronaldo's frustrations boiled over in the direction of the referee as he blew the half-time whistle while the former Manchester United man was dribbling past an opposition player looking to instigate a counterattack. The forward threw his right arm up in the air before quickly picking the ball up as it rolled into the centre circle and booting it down the pitch.
READ MORE: What is the King Cup? Ronaldo and Al Nassr chasing silverware
Ronaldo received a yellow card as he continued to gesticulate at the official while making his way down the tunnel. He has now failed to find the back of the net in three straight games since being named February's Saudi Pro League player of the month and was substituted in the second half with the game won.
Al-Wedha await Al-Nassr in the semi-finals after beating Al-Batin on Monday. Al-Ittihad, who won the Saudi Super Cup in January, also reached the final four and will face Al-Hilal or Al-Fateh in the next round.
READ NEXT:
Manchester United's wage bill dropped by £5m between October and December 2022 following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's approach to dealing with stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford has been compared to how Sir Alex Ferguson chose to keep order in his squad.
Denmark striker Rasmus Højlund is the leading scorer after the opening set of qualifying matches for Euro 2024.
Pep Guardiola has warned Manchester United over their proposed transfer pursuit for Harry Kane - although the Manchester City manager has also told Erik ten Hag in glowing terms exactly what he would be getting if United are able to sign the England captain this summer.
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand said that he and Quinton Fortune used to 'borderline bully' Cristiano Ronaldo during games of table tennis to build his resilience.
Cristiano Ronaldo thanked Bader Almotawaa after the Kuwait international graciously accepted being passed as the most-capped men's player.
Marcus Rashford will hold out on signing a new contract at Manchester United until assessing what prospective new owners can offer him, according to reports.
Georgina Rodriguez is gearing up for the release of the second season of her show, “I Am Georgina.” The Netflix series follows her life and her relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo, showing an intimate look at her work, her children, and her friends. In an interview with the Spanish program “El Hormiguero,” Rodriguez talked about her show and her relationship, sparking some online debate. Cristiano Ronaldo lists his stunning Manchester mansion on saleGeorgina Rodriguez breaks down over the loss of her babyLos regalos de @GeorginaGuez y @Cristiano#GeorginaEHpic.twitter.com/UONck60ksGThe show’s hosts asked about Rodriguez and Ronaldo’s relationship, specifically, about what they give to each other as presents.
Cristiano Ronaldo reunited with a couple of his former Manchester United teammates while on international duty with Portugal this week - finding particular joy in seeing Diogo Dalot once again.
Manchester United fans have praised former striker Cristiano Ronaldo as he prepares to become the most-capped men's international player in history.
Former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo will become the most-capped international footballer of all time when Portugal take to the field on Thursday night.
While not many Manchester United fans prefer international football over club football, plenty would agree that the March international break has come at a good time for Erik ten Hag's side given their heavy load of late.
Bids not received
Cristiano Ronaldo's late free-kick inspired Al-Nassr's comeback as they beat Abha 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.
The King Cup returns after a three-month hiatus this week to offer Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr a chance to refocus on other competitions after losing their position atop the Saudi Pro League to Al-Ittihad.
Cristiano Ronaldo has taken to social media in the aftermath of Al-Nassr losing to Saudi Pro League title rivals Al-Ittihad to post a series of workout photos captioned with a cryptic message.
Cristiano Ronaldo tasted defeat for the first time in his Al-Nassr career on Thursday night as Al-Ittihad dealt the former Manchester United man a title blow.
Cristiano Ronaldo may not be featuring in the Champions League these days but his impact in the competition has not been forgotten at the highest level.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates face a crucial top of the table clash against Al-Ittihad in a fixture which will be officiated by controversial Spanish official Mateu Lahoz, according to AS.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr will be out to extract revenge this week when being reacquainted with fellow Saudi Pro League title contenders Al-Ittihad.