"Even with the presence of Ronaldo, it is not easy to win" - Al Nassr manager Rudi Garcia reacts to Cristiano Ronaldo's debut

Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia has claimed that although Cristiano Ronaldo has improved the team, he does not guarantee an automatic win in the Saudi Pro League.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who was officially unveiled as an Al Nassr player at Mrsool Park on January 3, made his debut in a 1-0 win over Ettifaq on January 22. A two-match ban, which the FA imposed upon him for slapping the phone out of an Everton fan’s hand in April, kept him from making his debut sooner.

Ronaldo, who scored a brace for Riyadh All-Star XI in a 5-4 friendly defeat to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) last week, could not score on Sunday. Nonetheless, Garcia was impressed with the impact he made.

Analyzing Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut after the game, coach Garcia told Reuters:

“It’s a positive addition when you have a player like Ronaldo as he helps to distract the defenders, which is what happened with our goal.

“Today we created opportunities for him and asked the players to diversify the game between him and Talisca, and we must not forget that he participated in the (exhibition match against) Paris St Germain and did not get enough rest.”

Garcia concluded by reminding everyone that the Saudi Pro League is capable of giving the five-time Ballon d’Or winner a tough time.

“Even with the presence of Ronaldo, it is not easy to win the Saudi League because of … the strength of the competitors,” the French coach added.

Anderson Talisca scored the only goal of the game in the 31st minute to seal a narrow win for the Saudi Pro League leaders on Sunday.

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Erling Haaland now has more Premier League hat-tricks than Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester City ace Erling Haaland scored a stunning hat-trick in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored a header in the 40th minute, converted a penalty in the 50th minute and finally completed his hat-trick with a tap-in in the 54th minute. It was Haaland’s fourth Premier League hat-trick this season, having played only 19 times in the division.

Haaland’s hat-trick against Wolves saw him surpass some of the best players in Premier League history. Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Robbie Keane, Didier Drogba, Romelu Lukaku, Jamie Vardy, Heung-min Son and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all have three Premier League hat-tricks to their name.

Haaland, 22, has scored 25 Premier League goals thus far and is the overwhelming favorite to snag the Premier League Golden Boot this season.