Riyadh, Saudi Arabia— Al-Nassr coach Rudi Garcia hopes that Cristiano Ronaldo will “rediscover the pleasure of playing” when he brings a little stardust to the Saudi Arabian league.
“The only thing I wish for Ronaldo is that he rediscovers the pleasure of playing and smiles again because in recent months between Manchester United, the national team and then at a personal level he hasn’t had easy moments,” Garcia said Sunday on the sidelines of the Dakar Rally being staged in the kingdom.
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“If he finds the pleasure of playing again, that will already be a goal achieved,” added the coach who described the 37-year-old Portuguese international as a “tremendous athlete”.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has penned a contract until 2025 with the Saudi club in a deal worth a reported 200 million euros.
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The former Juventus and Real Madrid star arrived in Saudi Arabia having had his contract at Manchester United ripped up after a bitter divorce.
He had also seen his dream of an elusive World Cup triumph end in the quarter-finals in neighboring Qatar last month.
