Cristiano Ronaldo's retirement plan and Al-Nassr U-turn amid Saudi Arabia struggles
As Cristiano Ronaldo marks his 38th birthday, it's safe to say things are looking rather different for the veteran compared to this time last year.
Twelve months ago, Ronaldo was gearing up for Man Utd's trip to Burnley, having missed a penalty one day earlier as United were stunned by Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. He didn't score that day, but did deliver two hat-tricks between then and the end of the season while finishing as top scorer for his club
Before leaving Manchester United in November when his contract was terminated by mutual agreement, Ronaldo was in the midst of one of his worst ever seasons in front of goal. He had scored just three times for Erik ten Hag's side, and was unable to end his wait for a World Cup knockout goal as Portugal fell in the quarter-finals.
A move to Saudi Arabia was supposed to change that, but things haven't all gone Ronaldo's way. He drew a blank on his league debut against Ettifaq and also failed to net as Al-Nassr lost in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner also missed a sitter in his third game, against Al-Fateh. He did finally get off the mark, but only after taking penalty duties off team-mate Anderson Talisca to equalise in the same match
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