Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dedicated his goal that gave Al Nassr a 2-1 win against Al Rayyan in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday to his late father.
The Portugal captain scored the winner with 14 minutes remaining on what would have been his father Jose Dinis Aveiro’s 71st birthday.
Ronaldo, 39, lifted both arms and looked up at the sky during his goal celebration, in memory of his father, who passed away in 2005 from liver failure when Ronaldo was in his second season at Manchester United.
“Today’s goal had a different flavour, I would love for my father to be alive because today is his birthday,” an emotional Ronaldo said after the game.
His father did not see Ronaldo go on to win five Champions League titles, five Ballon d’Or awards and captained Portugal to Euro 2016 glory.
Ronaldo, who last month became the first men’s player in history to score 900 goals, said he doesn’t have “much time left” in his playing career.
“I still love playing football and I know I don’t have much time left on the pitch,” he said.
“Records are part of me and I’m used to breaking them. The most important thing is not to be considered the best player or win prizes. The important thing is to enjoy and be useful to the club and the national team.
“I’ve felt pressure since the first day and I think I will feel it until the last.”
Ronaldo has won just one title, the Arab Club Champions Cup, since joining Al Nassr in December 2022 after his acrimonious exit from Manchester United.
The former Real Madrid star has a contract with Al Nassr through June 2025. Al Nassr are fourth in the Saudi Pro League standings after five games and host Al-Orobah FC on Saturday.