Cristiano Ronaldo marked his first appearance in six weeks with a goal as Al Nassr thrashed Al Riyadh 4-0 in their Saudi Pro League opener, and the Saudi press has been quick to draw a line between the 41-year-old's renewed sharpness and his recent wedding to Georgina Rodríguez.
"As if the marriage returned his youth to him," was how ONE summarised the tone of the coverage inside Saudi Arabia, reporting that local media described Ronaldo's cameo as delivering a "wonderful level and unmatched passion" for a player who had not kicked a ball competitively since early July.
Ronaldo came off the bench in the 62nd minute at Al Riyadh's stadium and needed just 28 minutes to make his mark, finishing off a move set up by teammate Yahya in the 83rd to complete the scoring. Abdulelah Al-Amri, Angelo and João Félix had already put the result beyond doubt before he arrived.
The goal was his first involvement of the new campaign and moved him level with Mohammed Al-Sahlawi as Al Nassr's leading scorer of the Saudi professional era, with 103 goals in what is now 108 league appearances since he joined the club in January 2023 — a spell that has also produced 19 assists.
It was Ronaldo's first game back since Portugal's World Cup ended in heartbreak on July 6, when Spain beat them 1-0 in the round of 16 through a stoppage-time Mikel Merino header, a result Ronaldo has since suggested marked his last appearance at the tournament.
In between, he and Rodríguez — his partner of eight years — confirmed they had married in a civil ceremony in Cascais, near Lisbon, on August 11, sharing a photograph of their linked hands and wedding bands on Instagram with the caption "C ♥ G". The couple's five children were present at what both described as a private, intimate occasion.
ONE reports that Saudi outlets have leaned heavily into the timing, casting Ronaldo's crisp finish and evident hunger on his return as evidence the wedding had rejuvenated him on the pitch — while also cautioning, in the same coverage, that he will need to manage his minutes carefully at his age rather than push for a starting role too soon.
Whether or not marriage really is behind it, the sharpness was real enough: with one more goal Ronaldo will stand alone as Al Nassr's outright record scorer, a landmark that already looked well within reach before Saturday's substitute appearance in Al Riyadh.
