Skip to main content

Roberto Carlos

Cristiano Ronaldo turns up to Real Madrid training as club legend meets Ancelotti in Riyadh

It may have been rude of Madrid's record goalscorer not to show his face, given Los Blancos were training at the facilities of his new team, Al Nassr.

The 37-year-old was nevertheless warmly received as his former team were put through their paces, training in the build-up to Sunday's trophy game against Barcelona.

Ronaldo watched the session and met with Madrid's players, the club said, with the Portuguese perhaps hankering for a slice of the action.

He also chatted with fellow former Madrid star Roberto Carlos, with the Brazilian making an appearance at the session as well.

Ronaldo last featured in a Supercopa for Madrid in August 2017, scoring in a 3-1 first-leg win against Barcelona at Camp Nou before Madrid won the second game 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to seal a 5-1 aggregate rout over their fiercest rivals.

Ronaldo has yet to make his competitive debut for Al Nassr, who face Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.

He is expected to miss that game, having also sat out a fixture against Al Tai last week, due to a two-match ban handed down by the English Football Association after Ronaldo slapped a mobile phone out of a young Everton fan's hand at the end of Manchester United's defeat at Goodison Park last April.

Ronaldo has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Al Nassr, the deal seemingly ending his long and successful career in European club football.

He scored 451 goals in 438 games for Madrid in a staggering nine-year stint with Los Blancos, before moving on to Juventus in July 2018.

Roberto Carlos: I wanted Neymar at Real Madrid a long time ago

Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in 2017, but has been linked with a return to Camp Nou and a possible blockbuster switch to Madrid.

Carlos, a Madrid and Brazil great, said he wanted Neymar at the Santiago Bernabeu long ago.

"If it were up to me, [Neymar] would already be here a long time ago, but life is not how one would like it," Carlos told Fox Sports Radio.

"These great players always have to play for the best clubs in the world. Real Madrid today is a reference for any player.

"Do you want to win the Champions League? Come to Real Madrid."

Carlos won four LaLiga titles and three Champions Leagues with Madrid, while he was also a 2002 World Cup winner with Brazil.

Madrid's current left-back, Marcelo, has been out of favour with Brazil, with his last international appearance coming at the 2018 World Cup.

Carlos hopes the 31-year-old can eventually make a return for the national team.

"Everyone deserves a new opportunity and I think Marcelo is growing again to be the Marcelo I saw play, with joy, who does things that only he can do on the field," he said.

"I hope he returns to the national team and disputes the position with Filipe [Luis], Alex Sandro and Renan Lodi."