Cristiano Ronaldo’s mates at Al Nassr: Two beat Messi’s Argentina at World Cup, and a goal-poaching Brazilian

Ronaldo fired a blank in his first club match last weekend. So he will likely need quality assistance and support as he adjusts to the conditions.

So who are the ones who are plying their trade in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or the United Arab Emirates? And who will be the ones who could play a crucial role in the 37-year-old finding form again?

Here is a look at the ones who will be brushing shoulders with Ronaldo:

Attacking midfielder: Talisca

The Brazilian footballer plays as a defensive midfielder for Al-Nassr. Gustavo has played in Germany, where he represented the likes of Bayern Munich, VfL Wolfsburg, and 1899 Hoffenheim. In terms of silverware, he won six trophies, including the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich.

So far the 35-year-old has four goals and two assists in 12 games for the nine-time Saudi Pro League champions. Playing in his preferred position ahead of the defence, Gustavo tends to make the incisive runs. He is equally good at the role of a midfield enforcer

Anderson Talisca

Midfielder: Luiz Gustavo

The Brazilian footballer plays as a defensive midfielder for Al-Nassr. Gustavo has played in Germany, where he represented the likes of Bayern Munich, VfL Wolfsburg, and 1899 Hoffenheim. In terms of silverware, he won six trophies, including the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich.

So far the 35-year-old has four goals and two assists in 12 games for the nine-time Saudi Pro League champions. Playing in his preferred position ahead of the defence, Gustavo tends to make the incisive runs. He is equally good at the role of a midfield enforcer

Luiz Gustavo

Gonzalo ‘Pity’ Martínez

During Al Nassr vs. Al Ettifaq, Ronaldo was joined in an attack by Argentine forward Gonzalo Nicolas Martinez, who is also known as ‘Pity’ Martinez. Martinez, who plays as an attacking midfielder, joined River Plate in January 2015 and was instrumental in obtaining his first Supercopa Argentina title against Boca in 2017. He also won two Copas Libertadores – 2015 and 2018. In 2019, he joined Major League Soccer (MLS) team Atlanta United before switching to Al Nassr in 2020. The 29-year-old also made his Argentina national team debut in 2018 during a 3–0 victory over Guatemala. However, Ronaldo will need an improved performance from ‘Pity’ since the Argentine has failed to register a single assist in his six-season appearances so far.

Gonzalo ‘Pity’ Martínez. (Reuters)

Ghislain Konan

Left-back Ghislain Konan is an Ivorian professional who has French professional football on his resume where he played for Stade Reims and made 95 appearances. For Al-Nassr, he has made 12 appearances and registered three assists. His ability to set up assists and swing the ball into the box from the left side makes him an important asset especially with someone like Ronaldo – who has scored many unbelievable headers throughout his illustrious career.

Ghislain Konan. (Al Nassr)

Sultan Al-Ghannam

Right-back Sultan Al-Ghannam was one of six Al Nassr players to go to the 2022 World Cup with Saudi Arabia. He came on as a substitute in the game where the Arab nation beat Lionel Messi and his Argentine team. He replaced goalscorer Saleh Al Shehri in the 78th minute and defended stoically till the end of the match. In the Saudi Pro League 22/23, he has 1 goal and 1 assist so far and his runs down the right could prove fruitful for Ronaldo.

Sultan Al-Ghannam. (Reuters)

Abdulelah Al-Amri

Abdulelah Al-Amri came on in the 88th minute replacing Nawaf Al Abid and saw out the last few minutes. The 25-year-old al-Amri, who made a late appearance in the game, has played for the Kingdom’s senior national team since 2019 when he appeared at the AFC Cup, and has played at the under-20 and under-23 levels. Al-Amri also captained the Saudi under-20 team at the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup.

The other two players in the same squad were Abdullah Madu and Sami Al-Najei but did not play in that epic encounter.

Saudi Arabia players who were a part of the World Cup team. (Screengrab/Twitter))

Goalkeeper: David Ospina

The former Arsenal goalkeeper will be Ronaldo’s teammate at Al-Nassr. Incidentally, Ospina became the 245th goalkeeper against whom Cristiano Ronaldo scored in his career (while playing for Juventus against Napoli). Ospina was also between the posts when Ronaldo scored his 760th career goal in 2021.

David Ospina had come under fire last season when he made mistakes in Arsenal’s Champions League fixture against Olympiakos. (Source: Reuters)

Centre back: Álvaro González

The Spanish footballer plays as a central defender for Al Nassr. Gonzalez, who began his career with Racing de Santander, has played for La Liga clubs such as Zaragoza, Espanyol, and Villarreal before signing for Marseille in 2019. Alvaro also has the distinction of winning the 2013 European Under-21 Championship with Spain. During his spell in La Liga, Alvaro had come up against Ronaldo on a few occasions where the Portuguese had come up trumps with his Real Madrid side.

Álvaro González

Other prominent players playing in the league:

Centre back: Ahmed Hegazy

The former West Brom man plays for Al-Ittihad, who finished second to Al-Hilal last season.

Central midfielder: Ever Banega

Former Sevilla star Banega plays for Saudi club Al Shabab at the age of 34.

Central midfielder: Miralem Pjanic

Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammate at Juventus is also in the Middle East after signing for UAE Pro League club Sharjah FC recently.