In the few days since Cristiano Ronaldo announced his shock move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr, numerous rumors have followed about who will join him in his new team.
Early reports have suggested that the club is pursuing deals for an old friend of Ronaldo’s, former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, and an old foe in current Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets. Recent headlines have linked the Riyadh side to possibly making a move for Luka Modrić.
Fans have also been quick to point out that other stars such as Marcelo and Isco are free agents at the moment as well and are worthy candidates to reunite with Ronaldo.
Right now, however, Al-Nassr are at the top of the table in the Saudi Pro League, and their squad already possesses a few familiar faces who Ronaldo can feel confident will aid him in the bid to become a force in the Asian Champions League.
Here are Cristiano Ronaldo’s current top 5 teammates at Al-Nassr.
5. Sultan Al-Ghannam
The 28-year-old right back who wears the captain’s armband for Al-Nassr was involved in a monumental event for his nation very recently at the World Cup in Qatar. In an early match at the tournament which captured the attention of the world, Saudi Arabia produced perhaps the biggest upset in World Cup history by winning their opening match against eventual champions Argentina.
Al-Ghannam was introduced into the game in the second half and played a key role in helping the gulf nation defend their miraculous lead against the best efforts of the Argentine attack putting everything into their attempt to equalize. A set piece taker for Al-Nassr, the skipper will be dreaming of the moment his cross reaches the head of football’s all-time top goalscorer.
4. Anderson Talisca
A player who was regarded highly as a youngster and even compared to legendary compatriot Rivaldo, Talisca has spent the prime years of his career plying his trade in Asian football.
The Brazilian was bought by Benfica as a 20-year-old in 2014 and is most famous for being the ace player of Turkish side Beşiktaş in the 2016/17 season when the club won the Süper Lig title and also played in the UEFA Champions League, where Talisca was included in the tournament’s ‘Breakthrough XI’.
In 2018, Talisca swapped Europe for Asia and joined Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, helping them win the Chinese Super League in 2019. Since joining Al-Nassr in 2021, the versatile forward has scored 29 goals in 37 appearances and is itching to get his hands on a Saudi Arabian title soon.
3. David Ospina
Ronaldo is not the only player in his new squad who is the most capped player in his country’s history. Al-Nassr goalkeeper Ospina holds this title for Colombia.
As the man between the sticks during a fruitful era for the South American nation, he helped lead them to reach the knockout stages at the 2014 and 2018 World Cup, as well as two third-place finishes at the 2016 and 2021 Copa América tournaments respectively.
After spending much of his youth earning his place at Ligue 1 side Nice, a solid performance at the 2014 World Cup saw Ospina earn a move to Premier League giants Arsenal.
Despite largely being a rotational keeper and only making 29 appearances across five seasons for the Londoners, the Colombian got to start in the 2017 FA Cup final as his side lifted the trophy for the second time while he was at the club.
Following the 2018 World Cup, Ospina left England to join Napoli in Italy and was crucial in helping them win the Coppa Italia title in 2020, enjoying a stellar four-year period where he kept 30 clean sheets for the team.
As a free agent last summer, rumors circulated that the 34-year-old might be signed by Champions League winners Real Madrid to deputize Thibaut Courtois, as he had left a good impression on manager Carlo Ancelotti during their time together at the Neapolitan side. The Spaniards however opted to instead stick with the young Andriy Lunin, allowing Al-Nassr to capitalize on the opportunity to sign Ospina.
2. Luiz Gustavo
Something that Ronaldo should have been glad to have learned as he was gearing up to join Al-Nassr is that the team has another player who has played in a UEFA Champions League final and lifted the trophy.
Brazilian defensive midfielder Luiz Gustavo regularly featured for Bayern Munich across a two-and-a-half season period with the Bavarians and was on the pitch at Wembley in 2013 when the final whistle blew to declare his side champions of Europe.
Later that summer, he played the entire Confederations Cup final against Spain to win his first title with the national team, and was then bought from Bayern by Wolfsburg.
In his second season, he played a vital role in helping Wolfsburg win their first-ever cup title by scoring 4 goals in 5 matches in the DFB-Pokal, including goals in the semifinal as well as the final against Borussia Dortmund.
After a decade spent playing in the Bundesliga, Gustavo went to France in 2017 to sign with Olympique de Marseille, where he was managed by current Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia.
Garcia selected Gustavo more than any other player in the squad in his first season, as Marseille finished runners-up in the Europa League to Atletico Madrid, and Gustavo was named in the team of the year for both the Europa League and Ligue 1.
Following a spell in Turkey at Fenerbahçe from 2019-2022, Gustavo was called upon by Rudi Garcia last summer to reunite in Saudi Arabia.
1. Vincent Aboubakar
If there is anyone who poses a threat to Ronaldo in his presumed objective of becoming the top goalscorer in Saudi Arabia, it may just perhaps be his own teammate in Vincent Aboubakar.
The 30-year-old Cameroonian striker has enjoyed success in Europe, but similarly to Talisca, Al-Nassr fans get to enjoy him while he is still in his prime.
After winning two Primeira Liga and two Süper Lig titles with Porto and Beşiktaş respectively, the forward signed with Al-Nassr in 2021. Since joining Al-Nassr, Aboubakar has hit a new level of form with Cameroon’s national team, arguably becoming their most recognizable player.
At the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, his 8 goals in 7 games led Cameroon to a third-place finish, as well as propelling him to beat superstars Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mané in winning the golden boot, as well as being included alongside them in the team of the tournament.
Aboubakar followed that up by heading to Qatar and scoring 2 goals in 3 games at the World Cup, with his goal against Serbia being nominated for the goal of the tournament award.
These successes put him in the pole position to stand to benefit the most of all from the added attention that the team of Al-Nassr as a whole will receive thanks to the arrival of Ronaldo.
It remains to be seen whether the likes of Sergio Ramos and co. will actually end up being attracted to Al-Nassr by Cristiano Ronaldo.
If they do in fact get thrown into the mix along with this selection of players who joined A- Nassr before the club could even dream of adding Ronaldo, one can assume that not only will the Riyadh side establish themselves as the favourites to win the Asian Champions League, but making waves in the Club World Cup should they qualify for it eventually is not unfathomable. Some may even speculate that this goal in mind helped convince Ronaldo to close the deal with the Saudi Arabians.
