Having been released by Manchester United in November, Cristiano Ronaldo completed his mega-money transition Al-Nassr in the new year. Unfortunately, he was suspended for two games for striking a phone out of an Everton fan's hand while playing for the Red Devils, thus he had to wait almost two weeks to make his debut.
After making his Saudi Arabia debut in an All-Star game against Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain and scoring twice, the 37-year-old forward participated in his first regular season game, a 1-0 triumph against Al-Ettifaq. The Portugal captain, though, was held scoreless in that on Thursday as well, when he faced Al-Ittihad in his second match.
The Premier League side and Ronaldo were officially at odds when the latter gave an inflammatory interview with Piers Morgan, which led to the termination of his contract. Since he was released as a free agent during the Qatar 2022 World Cup hiatus, he was never able to say his final farewell to his former teammates and coaches at Old Trafford.
Which Manchester United players got farewell invitation from Cristiano Ronaldo?
Despite rumors have it that he's 'enjoying life' in Saudi Arabia, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner still remains in touch with some of his closest former colleagues. The Sun reports that Ronaldo has contacted four of his old Manchester United teammates—Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Raphael Varane, and Harry Maguire—in an effort to get together this summer.
All four players are said to be good friends with Ronaldo. The report adds that the superstar has invited his former Old Trafford colleagues to his brand-new property on the outskirts of Portugal, where he has also reportedly brought up the potential of them attending one of his games with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
"There are still a few lads here who have nothing but respect for Ronny and were sad how it all ended because they never got to say a proper goodbye. He recently left the player WhatsApp groups but promised to keep in touch with a few and has invited them to his new place in Lisbon and to Saudi to watch him play", a Man Utd insider was quoted in the publication as saying.
