Al Nassr have been forced to postpone their first Saudi Pro League game since confirming the arrival of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo was officially presented as an Al Nassr player on Tuesday after signing a two-year contract with the Saudi outfit, who have reportedly made the 37-year-old the highest-paid player in football history.
Ronaldo started training with the club after the conclusion of the glitzy event at Mrsool Park, with his focus now locked on readying himself for a highly anticipated debut in the Middle East.
Al Nassr were due to get back to Saudi Premier League action against Al Tai on Thursday, but the club has announced that the contest has been pushed back by 24 hours due to technical problems at their stadium caused by extreme weather.
An official statement on Al Nassr’s social media channels said: “Due to heavy rain and weather conditions impacting the stadium’s electricity, we have been officially informed that tonight’s (Thursday) match against Al Tai is postponed for 24 hours. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to fans and wish everyone safe travels.”
It has been reported that Ronaldo won’t be eligible to play against Al Tai due to the ban he was given by the English football association for a phone-smashing incident during his homecoming season at Manchester United. The Portuguese star left Old Trafford by mutual consent in November, but the two-game suspension is said to be transferrable to his new club, and he is therefore not expected to feature in Al Nassr’s rearranged fixture on Friday.
A news agency report claimed that Ronaldo would have to wait to make his Al Nassr debut because the Saudi club has exceeded its quota for foreign players. Ronaldo is the club’s ninth foreign player — one more than the eight allowed by Saudi football authorities.
“Al Nassr has not registered him yet because there is no vacancy for a foreign player,” one club official, who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak to media.
“A foreign player must leave to register Ronaldo, either by selling or by terminating the contract by mutual consent.”
Saudi reports said Uzbek midfielder Jaloliddin Masharipov was most likely to make way for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Champions League record scorer.