Al Nassr Boss Makes Cristiano Ronaldo U Turn After Angry Backlash

Al Nassr Boss Makes Cristiano Ronaldo U Turn After Angry Backlash

Isaac Darko
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:25 PM
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C. Ronaldo
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  • Rudi Garcia has made a sensattional U-turn on his criticisms over five-time Ballon winner Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Real Madrid and Manchester United legend, Ronaldo scored his first hat-trick for Al-Nassr on Thursday
  • Garcia had put the blame for his side's elimination from the Saudi Super Cup on Cristiano Ronaldo

Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia has appeared to retract his criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo after he scored four goals on Thursday.

Ronaldo cemented his status as the greatest finisher to have graced football, following his super hat-trick against Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro League.

The Portuguese icon has been on fire since last week, with the 38-year-old scoring five goals in just his last two games for his new Riyadh-based club.

Rudi Garcia, Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr, Saudi Arabia
Cristiano Ronaldo bagged four goals for Al-Nassr on Thursday evening with boss Rudi Garcia appearing to backtrack on comments questioning his integration with the squad. Credit: @mirrorsports
Source: Twitter

In his post-match presser, after Al-Nassr recorded their second victory in five matches, Garcia heaped praises on his recently appointed club contain.

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“Ronaldo has reached a great stage of homogeneity and harmony with his teammates,” the 55-year-old said via GOAL.
“Over time, his teammates realised what he wanted and when he will score. I think it was a good night for Cristiano Ronaldo because he scored four goals.”

The strike against Wehda marked Ronaldo's 500th league goal in a career which has seen him play for Sporting Lisbon, Man United, Real Madrid and Juventus.

Garcia blames Ronaldo

However, Garcia's latest comment greatly contradicts his views about Ronaldo in recent weeks. The Frenchman blamed The Portugal captain for his side's elimination from the Saudi Super Cup.

Garcia's charges, led by their new superstar, bowed out of the competition at the semi-final stage following a 3-1 loss to Al-Ittihad.

Reflecting on his side's exit, the coach identified a chance missed by Ronaldo as the moment which turned the tie away from Al-Nassr's favour.

Now, it seems Garcia has sensationally changed the tune after the Real Madrid legend notched astonishing four goals in one game for Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo scores first Saudi hat-trick

Ronaldo scored his first hat-trick in just his third appearance for Al-Nassr, during their match against Al-Wehda on Thursday, Sports Brief also reported.

The Riyadh-based club travelled to the opposition turf on Thursday without suspended top scorer, Talisca but the Brazilian ended up not being missed.

Ronaldo's first goal arrived in the 21st minute of the game via a sweet left-footed strike, with the star seeming to have regained his rhythm at last.

Authors
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Isaac Darko
Isaac Darko is a La Liga, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga editor at Sports Brief with a Degree in Journalism and Communications from Ghana Institute of Journalism (2010)
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