Remembering Cristiano Ronaldo’s Debuts and How He Fared Ahead of Al Nassr Bow

• A new chapter in the career of Cristiano Ronaldo will unfurl this Thursday
• His debut since moving to Al-Nassr is an exhibition against Messi and PSG
• Sports Brief takes a look at the Portuguese veteran's previous club debuts

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make his first appearance for Al-Nassr in Thursday's friendly against Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain.

The Portuguese's much-heralded Al-Nassr debut was delayed due to a ban slapped on him by the English FA, with the friendly against PSG expected as his first on Saudi Arabian soil.

The friendly game between Riyadh XI and PSG will mark the first time Ronaldo and Messi will go up against each other since the group stages of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League - when they represented Juventus and Barcelona respectively.

Sports Brief has taken a closer look at how Ronaldo fared on his debuts.

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Sporting Lisbon (2002)

Ronaldo made his debut for Sporting Lisbon in September 2002 against Braga, in a Portuguese Primera Liga clash. Four days later, the then-17-year-old played his first Champions League game against Inter Milan.

The youngster was named on the bench but was introduced for the final 30 minutes, as he joined fellow homegrown star, Ricardo Quaresma on the pitch.

Manchester United (2003)

Manchester United was prompted by the performance of Ronaldo after just one season with Sporting Lisbon. The Red Devils fought off competition from Arsenal and Barcelona to sign the winger, after David Beckham left Old Trafford to join Real Madrid.

Ronaldo made his first appearance in the Premier League against Bolton Wanderers in August 2003, with the youngster coming on at 1-0 up and helping Alex Ferguson's side record an eventual 4-0 victory.

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His debut goal came in November against Portsmouth.

Real Madrid (2009)

Ronaldo became the most expensive player in the world in 2009, after Real Madrid ponied up £80-million to take him to the Santiago Bernabeu. He joined fellow Galaticos Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso, who were all signed on a spree of over £200-mil in the summer of 2009.

Ronaldo netted his first goal for Los Blancos in his debut game against Deportivo La Coruna from the penalty spot, in a narrow triumph. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was on the scoresheet again in his very next game, and notched 10 goals in his first seven Real Madrid games.

Juventus (2018)

Ronaldo started the next chapter of his illustrious career with Juventus in 2018. After failing to win the UEFA Champions League since the 1995/96 season, the Bianconeri signed the star to help them break their European curse, having lost in four finals.

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That didn't materialise however, thanks to Ajax, Lyon and Porto, who eliminated Juve from the Champions League during Ronaldo's stint in Turin. He played his last match for the Old Lady against Chievo Verona in August 2018, but wasn't on the scoresheet.

Manchester United (2021)

Ronaldo made a sensational return to Old Trafford for a second debut, albeit as a very different player. Aged 36, he was no longer a raw talent waiting to be eased into a regular role, but rather someone whose profile and past meant many expected his name to be the first on the teamsheet.

He made it straight into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's starting eleven, recording a hard-fought 2-1 win over Newcastle in September 2021. Ronaldo scored a brace in that game.

Xavi hails Cristiano Ronaldo

Sports Brief earlier reported that Ronaldo may have played for Barcelona's rivals, Real Madrid, but he still has fans at La Blaugrana.

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The current manager and a legend of the Catalan club, Xaxi still rates the Portuguese star very highly.

Ronaldo was in the headlines late last year for the bombshell interview he did with Piers Morgan, which led to his exit from the Red Devils.