Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi debut on hold over player quota
- Portuguese superstar faces a wait to make his Al Nassr debut because Saudi club have exceeded their quota for foreign players
- Al Nassr’s foreign contingent includes Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina, Brazilian Luiz Gustavo and forward Vincent Aboubakar of Cameroon
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo faces a wait to make his Al Nassr debut because the Saudi club have exceeded their quota for foreign players, club sources said on Thursday.
When he was unveiled with great fanfare on Tuesday, the 37-year-old said he was keen to play as soon as possible, starting with Thursday’s home game against Al Ta’ee.
But Ronaldo, whose deal is worth an estimated €200 million to June 2025, is Al Nassr’s ninth foreign player – one more than the eight allowed by Saudi football authorities.
The game at the 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park was eventually postponed for a day until Friday over “electrical faults” caused by heavy rain, the Saudi Pro League said.
“Al Nassr has not registered him yet because there is no vacancy for a foreign player,” one Al Nassr official, who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak to media, said.