Ex Man United Star De Gea Reacts After Ronaldo Fires Double Against Benzema’s Al Ittihad

• David De Gea offered a succinct, one-word accolade to Cristiano Ronaldo
• Ronaldo notched a brace in Al-Nassr's victory against Al-Ittihad
• He is the outright top scorer in 2023 with an impressive 53 goals

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea was filled with praise for Cristiano Ronaldo after the latter helped Al-Nassr brush Al-Ittihad aside in the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo, who was teammates with De Gea at Manchester United, fired a brace for Al-Nassr as the Knights of Najd secured a 5-2 victory against the defending Saudi champions.

The 38-year-old first struck in the 19th minute from the penalty spot to level the score for the visitors after Abderrazak Hamdallah had shot Ittihad into the lead.

Hamdallah and Cristiano would trade goals after recess, but the latter's strike, his second from the spot, would give Al-Nassr the lead and eventually spur the visitors to victory, with Sadio Mane adding a quickfire double.

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Ronaldo's brace makes him the outright top scorer in 2023, reaching 53 goals throughout the calendar year, signifying his renaissance after enduring a torrid 2022.

For context, his total tally surpasses that of Manchester City's goal-scoring machine Erling Haaland, red-hot Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane, and PSG's all-time top scorer Kylian Mbappe in the calendar year.

He is also in the run-in to scoop the 2023-2024 Saudi Pro League top scorer as the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus ace leads the chart with 19 goals in 17 games, per Transfermarkt.

De Gea salutes Ronaldo

Despite being 38, his sterling performance has won the hearts of many, including that of his former United teammate David De Gea.

De Gea, who is currently unattached after his contract with the Red Devils expired in the summer, took to social media to laud the Portuguese phenom.

The 33-year-old goalkeeper described CR7 as an "Animal", as cited by TCR on X (formerly called Twitter), following his impressive outing against Ittihad. He received an overall rating of 8.2 from Sofascore.

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Ronaldo sends warning message to rivals

Sports Brief also reported that Cristiano Ronaldo conveyed a significant message to rival clubs as he propelled Al-Nassr to a convincing victory over Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League on Boxing Day.

After his pivotal contribution to Al-Nassr's commanding victory, the 38-year-old, now with 53 goals in 2023, delivered a clear message to competitors.

Celebrating the win on Instagram, Ronaldo encouraged his team to maintain such performances as they chase Al-Hilal in the Saudi top flight.