Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo made the move to Al Nassr, the Saudi Pro League has gained widespread recognition. Many other players would follow suit, with the likes of Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, N’Golo Kante, and many others plying their trade for the Arabian clubs.
But even as the league continues to grow in popularity and in the media, the league’s standards still haven’t been able to match those of a top league. And now the league has received further criticism due to an action performed by Sadio Mane.
Al Nassr’s Sadio Mane rekindles his bond with Roberto Firmino
Al Nassr won yet another game, this time against Al Ahli. The two teams have many players from Europe, with Al Nassr having Ronaldo, Aymeric Laporte, Marcelo Brozović and Sadio Mane. Al Ahli, on the other hand, boasts Eduardo Mendy, Franck Kessie, Riyad Mahrez, Allan Saint Maximin, and Roberto Firmino.
Roberto Firmino was a former teammate of Mane’s during their long time together at Liverpool. The pair spent six seasons together and had formed a deadly front trio along with Mohamed Salah. Together, they won the Premier League, the Champions League, and every trophy possible.
So when the two met yesterday on the pitch, it was expected to see them rekindle their bond. Though not in the way done by Sadio Mane yesterday.
@l3bo0ob ♬ original sound – بندر
Al Nassr had won 4-3 yesterday, and during their second goal scored by Anderson Talisca, Firmino was helplessly watching on. Sadio, who was running to celebrate with his teammates, decided to have a bit of fun with his former teammate. He jumped on top of Firmino’s back, and the Brazilian didn’t appreciate the gesture. He walked away as they were on opposing teams and his team had just conceded.
The incident while bonding between two former players led to fans criticizing the league. As something like this doesn’t happen in Europe, where players have a high level of competition, many labelled the league an ‘unserious’ league.
Ronaldo powers Al Nassr to 7th straight victory
However, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who once again drove Al Nassr to victory. Ronaldo scored a brace to win the game, with him also scoring the opener.
Al Nassr have now won seven games in straight succession, with Ronaldo playing a very vital role. He has nine goals in these games, showing his very high performances at the age of 38. Overall, he has 29 goals in his 33 appearances.
Ronaldo has led the club to win the Arab Club Champions Cup. He is now looking to help them win the league title after losing it to Al Ittihad last season. However, they are still fifth in the league with 15 points, 3 points off the top.
Ronaldo and Al Nassr will hope for eight wins on the run when they face Ohod in the King Cup of Champions this Tuesday. Stay tuned with us for further updates.
