Cristiano Ronaldo's brace against Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday night earned the superstar marksman Man of the Match honours over the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar, something that seemed to surprise the ex-Manchester United forward.
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Ronaldo appeared confused as he made his way to receive the Man of the Match award for his display for the Riyadh XI against Les Parisiens.
The encounter against the Ligue 1 champions was his first bow in Saudi Arabian football following his blockbuster move to Al Nassr earlier this month.
A two-match suspension he received while still playing for United has made it impossible to make his debut for his new side to date, but he was able to display his prowess in the friendly encounter against Christophe Galtier's men on Thursday.
Coincidentally, his first game in the Middle East came against long-time rival Lionel Messi and it was the Argentine who opened the scoring for PSG before a Ronaldo brace levelled matters twice for the Al Nassr-Al Hilal combined team before going into the break.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner would, however, be substituted in the second half as boos rang throughout the King Fahd International Stadium as fans watched international football's all-time leading goalscorer leave the pitch in the 61st minute.
It would not take long for the Madeira native to reappear as both sides came back out for an award ceremony, and it was at this ceremony where Ronaldo's name was read out by the announcer confirming him as the match's best performer.
MOTM ?? #CR7?? #Ronaldo #CristianoRonaldo pic.twitter.com/Ex9y6pNiBL
— MDee™??? (@mdeetwits) January 19, 2023
As per the Daily Express, the football icon seemed surprised that he had got the accolade ahead of the likes of Mbappe, Messi and Neymar, who contributed immensely to PSG's 5-4 victory.
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The Al Nassr faithful will be hoping Ronaldo will emulate such performances for the next two years as he stands to make his competitive debut in the Saudi Pro League this weekend against Ettifaq FC.
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