38 years old, both Cristiano Ronaldo himself and fans all over the world understand that he is aging. However, the star from Portugal continues to pursue records to make his collection even greater. In June 2023, CR7 received a Guinness World Record certificate for reaching 200 caps for the national team.
CR7 has always been a beast on the field, but age has clearly had a significant impact on his performance in recent years. Evidence of this is the fact that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had to leave Europe to play in Arabia. Even in the recent World Cup, he had to sit on the bench starting from the knockout stages.
The superstar from Portugal clearly has no intention of retiring. However, his goal-scoring performance has significantly declined at Al Nassr. In the last three matches, CR7 failed to find the net. Even in his first season in the Saudi Pro League, the former Real Madrid star only scored 14 goals. A concerning performance for a top-class striker like Cristiano Ronaldo.
In the recent friendly match against PSG, Al Nassr focused much of the ball on Ronaldo. He had three opportunities but wasted them all. The 0-0 draw against PSG was not a bad result, but it left CR7's fans disappointed.
Next, Al Nassr will face Inter Milan in their final preseason friendly in Japan. It may be a chance for CR7 to take full advantage of this opportunity to warm up before entering a more demanding phase.
Entering the 2023/24 season, Ronaldo and his teammates will compete in five different competitions. Al Nassr will start the Saudi Pro League in mid-August, followed by the King Cup, the Saudi Super Cup, the Arab Club Champions Cup, and the AFC Champions League play-offs. Looking at the schedule, it is easy to feel the physical pressure on CR7.
At 38 years old, he is on the other side of his career's peak. Most of his peers have retired or moved into coaching. However, CR7 came to Al Nassr with a burning desire to conquer and set high expectations on his tired feet.
In recent matches, Ronaldo still makes efforts to move widely, choose favorable positions, and actively take shots. However, he lacks the feel of the ball and the best pace. The physicality in those bursts of acceleration is something that the number 7 star has gradually lost over time.
The most evident positive point for CR7 at present is his off-field attraction. He paved the way for other stars to arrive in Saudi Arabia. Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante joined Al Ittihad, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic joined Al Hilal, while Edouard Mendy and Roberto Firmino signed for Al Ahli.
The recognition for Cristiano Ronaldo should not be limited to his professional aspects. At the age of 38, he still brings allure to Arabian football and Al Nassr, exceeding all expectations.
