Cristiano Ronaldo and a 2023 that could be kinder to him

At 60 minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo raised his arms, gave a couple of applause, smiled, put on a jersey and then greeted each of the members of the bench of his team of Middle Eastern stars in a friendly way. What a difference from the last image of him leaving a court: in December, collapsed, with teary eyes, after being eliminated by Morocco in the quarterfinals of Qatar 2022.

December saw him off with a bang: without having reached the final stages in his last World Cup, but also without having been a protagonist, a normality throughout his career. Also without having been able to surpass Eusebio as the top Portuguese scorer in the World Cups. Heartbroken, CR7 locked himself in the dressing room so that the cameras would not see him drowning in tears.

Then he suffered some neglect from the most powerful clubs in Europe. After his departure from Manchester United, they did not want him. And against his will, even though he says no, he accepted the most juicy offer at an economic level: Al Nasrr of Saudi Arabia. He, who always said he would give his last flashes in a top league, had to go against his own convictions. He was greeted like a sheikh: applauded to the max. The lights fell on him again. Something his ego implored.

And today, in his first game of the year, Cristiano Ronaldo showed two weeks after turning 38 that he has not given up. How well surrounded he is still a lethal striker. Because today’s match against Paris Saint Germain, despite being a friendly, was competitive. He converted from a penalty, with a swollen cheekbone, after receiving a slap from Costa Rican Keylor Navas. And then he confirmed that his instincts are intact: his header hit the post, and he went to catch the rebound. Sergio Ramos hit him badly, giving him a little sweet in the area, and the ‘Bug’ ate it, with a left-footed shot.

He had a few more chances. We would have loved it if the Portuguese had built a wall with André Carrillo or perhaps connected a cross from ‘Culebra’, but it didn’t happen. He left the field, just when “Muñeco” Gallardo ordered the entry of the Peruvian winger. This weekend, CR7 will debut in an official Saudi league match against Al Ittifaq. From the way it comes, it would not be a surprise if he made himself felt with another double.