SUMMARY
- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have always been part of discussion of being the greatest of all time.
- Ronaldo's side Al Nassr faced Al Ettifaq recently and won 3-1.
After defeating Al Ettifaq 3-1, Al Nassr reminded everyone once more of its strength. Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the main topics of conversation after the match. The legendary Portuguese player had a great time and finished with a goal and an assist. The attacker might have scored more on another day.
Steven Gerrard, the manager of Al Ettifaq, was impressed with Ronaldo’s performance and expressed great admiration for him. The two appear to have advanced significantly since their Premier League days. These two have earned a lot of respect in this sport and are legends of the sport as well as their respective clubs.
🚨Steven Gerrard: “Cristiano Ronaldo is a goal machine. I have great admiration for him. He’s an older player but still performs better than all the others on the pitch. He has individually achieved everything possible and is still going strong, still hungry for goals. I think… pic.twitter.com/ThpHQEJ1Fo
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) December 22, 2023
After the game manager Steven Gerrard was full of praise for the 38-year-old Ronaldo in the post-match-interview. He said, “Cristiano Ronaldo is a goal machine. I have great admiration for him. He’s an older player but still performs better than all the others on the pitch. He has individually achieved everything possible and is still going strong, still hungry for goals. I think this defines the greatest of all time.”
Ronaldo’s goal against Al Ettifaq was his 21st of the current 2023-24 campaign. More crucially, with a game remaining, it enabled Al Nassr to cut the deficit with Al Hilal to only 10 points. When the season’s business end approaches, everyone will be looking to the soccer icon to lead by example and set the norm.
Steven Gerrard labels Cristiano Ronaldo as “THE GOAT” in soccer
In July 2023, Gerrard took a risk by accepting the position of manager of Al-Ettifaq, a Saudi Arabian team. Not all four of the clubs are supported by the Public Investment Fund, hence the club does not have the same level of financial stability as Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli.
Gerrard had applied to Leicester City and Leeds United for open positions at the time. But Gerrard joined Al-Ettifaq without hesitation when those doors closed. Gerrard cited Cristiano Ronaldo, a Man United icon, as part of his explanation.
He said, “The arrival of ‘The GOAT’ as we call him, Cristiano, him arriving in January obviously (was) a huge signing,” He still had a lot of football to offer.” This was a huge statement coming from Gerrard, especially regarding the rivalry they had back in the day.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores AGAIN for Al-Nassr! 🐐
His stats this season in the Saudi Pro League:
🏟️ 16 matches
⚽️ 17 goals
🎯 8 assists pic.twitter.com/ZRZZRPeV5v— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) December 22, 2023
The first international superstar to arrive in Saudi Arabia in late 2022 was the illustrious Portuguese. Since then, several well-known players have done the same, including Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante, Neymar, and Sadio Mane. Gerrard acknowledged Ronaldo’s contribution to the SPL’s increased visibility as motivation for his move to the league.
It remains to be seen now how Gerrard and his Saudi side Al-Ettifaq perform in the league as it looks like he has a lot of work to do to get them to the top. His side not being funded by the PIF raises some concerns, however, a manager of the stature of Steven Gerrard should be easily managing this side due to this immense experience in European soccer.