Cristiano Ronaldo produced a not-often seen sight on the football pitch on Saturday as he missed a penalty.
The 41-year-old had the chance to give Al-Nassr the lead in the 12th minute at Al-Fayha Club – who ex-Manchester United and England centre back Chris Smalling plays for – when his team-mate Mohamed Simakan had been fouled.
It appeared a contentious decision and after a four-minute delay, Ronaldo stepped up to shoot but dragged his effort wide of the left-hand post.
That was the 35th penalty missed in his glittering career, with the Al-Nassr and Portugal captain 35 goals away from the reaching 1,000-goal milestone.
Ronaldo has scored 181 penalties, meaning he has missed just 16.2 per cent of his spot-kicks from a total of 216.
Thankfully for the forward his penalty didn’t prove too costly as Al-Nassr won their Saudi Pro League encounter 3-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty during Al-Nassr’s 3-1 victory at Al-Fayha Club on Saturday
Sadio Mane (centre) was on the scoresheet though as they Al-Nassr from behind to win
However, at half-time they were trailing 1-0 when centre back Abdulelah Al-Amri scored an own goal just before the interval.
Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane equalised in the 72nd-minute for the visitors before goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera scored an own goal before Abdullah Al-Hamdan completed the scoreline.
It’s been a busy few days for Ronaldo, who became a co-owner on Thursday morning of Spanish second division side UD Almeria.
Ronaldo, who was named a billionaire by Forbes last year, has bought a 25 per cent share in the club through his CR7 Sports Investments company.
‘It has been a longtime ambition of mine to contribute to football, beyond the pitch,’ he said in a statement.
‘UD Almeria is a Spanish club with strong foundations and clear potential for growth. I look forward to working alongside the leadership team to support the club’s next phase of growth.’
The purchase figure hasn’t been disclosed but marks Ronaldo’s return to Spanish football after nine trophy-laden seasons at Real Madrid before he left for Juventus in the summer of 2018.
Ronaldo is now a football club owner after buying a 25 per cent share in UD Almeria
UD Almeria sit third in the Spanish second division and are looking to secure LaLiga promotion
His involvement also comes a year after the Spanish second division side were taken over by a Saudi investment group.
It is understood that Ronaldo has a close relationship with the group’s leader Mohamed Al Khereiji – who is reported to have helped facilitate his move to Al-Nassr in 2022 after his acrimonious exit from Manchester United.
Al Khereiji, UD Almeria club president, said: ‘We are very pleased that Cristiano has chosen our club to invest in.
‘He is regarded as the greatest to ever play the game, he knows the Spanish leagues very well and he understands the potential of what we are building here both in terms of the team and the academy.’
