Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema took the armbands and shared a hug in the tunnel on their returns to their sides’ starting line-ups for the showdown between title hopefuls Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City on Friday.
2022 Ballon d’Or winner Benzema has scored 10 times in nine games for his club this season but missed four of their previous five league matches through injury.
Ronaldo, who has won the most prestigious individual prize in football six times, has 15 club goals this season but was rested for Al-Nassr’s last-gasp 2-1 home defeat to Qatari team Al Sadd in the AFC Champions League on Monday because they had already progressed in the competition.
The pair were teammates at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018. Ronaldo is the club’s all-time top scorer with 450 goals, immediately ahead of Benzema’s 354.
🤝🥹#RoshnSaudiLeague #ITTNAS pic.twitter.com/q23iafkbOU
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) December 6, 2024
Ronaldo vs Benzema
Having posed for photos with Ronaldo before the start, Benzema kicked the game off for the hosts, who began two points above reigning champions Al-Hilal at the top of the table after winning 11 of their opening 12 league fixtures.
Al-Nassr had gone more than a year without a league away defeat, last losing on the road in the top flight at Al-Hilal on December 1 2023.
Game recognise game 🤝#RoshnSaudiLeague #ITTNAS pic.twitter.com/WCMvPLC4lz
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) December 6, 2024
Prolific forward Talisca was not part of Stefano Pioli’s matchday squad amid reports linking the Brazilian with a move to Turkish title challengers Fenerbahce.
Two-time African Footballer of the Year Sadio Mane supported Ronaldo in attack, with other star names in the lineup including Spain defender Aymeric Laporte, who joined the club from Manchester City in 2023.
Soak it all in. This is peak #RoshnSaudiLeague drama 🔥#ITTNAS, on in a few moments ⌛️ pic.twitter.com/X046YI61Ld
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) December 6, 2024
Al-Ittihad: Kante, Fabinho among starters
Al-Ittihad had hoped Moussa Diaby would return after three games out with an ankle sprain but the former Aston Villa, Bayer Leverkusen and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was again absent.
New manager Laurent Blanc still had a raft of high-profile players to call upon behind Benzema, including Netherlands international Steven Bergwijn and Algeria hotshot Houssem Aouar.
Here’s Jeddah! 🙌📍pic.twitter.com/NArzTve4NY
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) December 5, 2024
Former Chelsea and Leicester City linchpin N’Golo Kante featured alongside Fabinho – once of Liverpool and Monaco – in midfield.
Portugal’s Danilo Pereira was part of a defence entering the match on a run of six clean sheets, with Al Hilal’s surprise 3-2 defeat at Al-Khaleej on November 23 helping Al-Ittihad move above them.
Al-Nassr started eight points behind the leaders in fourth place. Third-placed Al-Qadsiah inflicted their first defeat of the season on November 22.
