Cristiano Ronaldo paid old friends a visit on Friday, dropping in on Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid ahead of the Supercopa de Espana final 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.
Bayern Munich hammered by Frankfurt as Jude Bellingham nets in Real Madrid draw
Bayern Munich suffered a spectacular 5-1 defeat as Eintracht Frankfurt ran riot to take their unbeaten Bundesliga record in style.
Thomas Tuchel named his strongest possible side – including Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sane and Harry Kane – in a bid to bridge the gap on leaders Bayer Leverkusen three days ahead of their Champions League trip to Manchester United.
But Eintracht were rampant at the Deutsche Bank Arena as Bayern conceded five goals in the opening 60 minutes of a Bundesliga match for the first time since 1975.
Eric Ebimbe scored twice and Omar Marmoush, Hugo Larsson and Ansgar Knauff were also on target with Joshua Kimmich, who scored moments before the interval to make the score 3-1, offering Bayern brief hope.
RB Leipzig triumphed in the battle between fourth and fifth by winning 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund.
Mats Hummels was sent off after 15 minutes for a rash challenge on Luis Openda and Leipzig took advantage through a Ramy Bensebaini own goal.
Niklas Sule equalised right on half-time but Christoph Baumgartner and Yussuf Poulssen scored before Niclas Fullkrug’s late consolation.
Jude Bellingham grabbed his 16th goal of the season in Real Madrid’s 1-1 LaLiga draw at Real Betis.
The England midfielder netted in the 52nd minute but it was not enough for three points as Aitor Ruibal hit back.
The result took Madrid a point clear at the top of the table but Girona and Barcelona – second and third respectively – will have a chance to take advantage when they face each other on Sunday.
Fifth-placed Real Sociedad eased to a 3-0 win at Villarreal with Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Takefusa Kubo scoring in a seven-minute spell before the break.
Inter Milan returned to the Serie A summit with a 4-0 stroll over Udinese at San Siro.
Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco and Marcus Thuram rewarded Nerazzurri dominance in a seven-minute scoring burst before half-time. Lautaro Martinez added his 14th goal of the season six minutes from time.
Luis Muriel struck a stunning stoppage-time winner for Atalanta as they beat AC Milan 3-2.
Atalanta twice led through Ademola Lookman but Milan looked to be taking a point as they hit back through Olivier Giroud and Luka Jovic.
But Rossoneri captain Davide Calabria was sent off in stoppage time and Atalanta then sealed victory for the first time in five matches as Muriel cheekily backheeled past Mike Maignan from close range.
Verona drew 1-1 with Lazio despite losing Ondrej Duda to a 77th-minute red card. Mattia Zaccagni put Lazio ahead before Thomas Henry equalised.
Randal Kolo Muani returned to haunt former club Nantes with a late winner in Paris St Germain’s 2-1 Ligue 1 victory at Parc des Princes.
Bradley Barcola produced a superb angled finish four minutes before the break, but Nantes levelled after the restart through Mostafa Mohamed.
Kolo Muani struck from close range with seven minutes remaining to give PSG an eighth successive league win.
Ten-man Monaco moved into second spot – six points behind PSG – with a 2-1 success at Rennes.
Brazilian full-back Vanderson put Monaco ahead before being sent off, but Youssouf Fofana provided breathing space and ensured Benjamin Bourigeaud’s last-minute penalty was no more than scant consolation.
Pep Guardiola ready to throw ‘punch in the face’ that will reignite Man City bid
Pep Guardiola accepts it is down to him to deliver the “punch in the face” that can reignite Manchester City’s season.
The treble winners have faltered in recent weeks after successive Premier League draws at the hands of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham were followed by defeat at Aston Villa on Wednesday.
City will hope to get back to winning ways as they travel to Luton on Sunday.
Manager Guardiola said: “I’m able. I put a lot of stress on myself. I will help the team. I don’t know how, but I will help the team to come back.
“Will it be enough? I don’t know. The contenders are so strong but that’s why I have to be ready and I have to have the feeling.
“I never found a football player who, when they go out on the pitch, doesn’t want to do well, doesn’t want to run, doesn’t want to fight or doesn’t want to be positive for the team or for success.
“But sometimes after winning you want to try to do it, but you don’t do it. For what? Because you won a lot and you need a punch in your face. You need it now.
“That will be to overcome the situation. I don’t know how we’ll react but that is a challenge, to see if the team can do it.
“I’m the boss. I have to help them. They need me and I have to be there – the right words, the right training, the right message, the right selection, the right way to play.”
Guardiola used a culinary reference to explain how City’s current run can be used to spice up his side’s campaign and how they should savour victory if they triumph at Kenilworth Road.
“When you win a lot it is another macaroni pasta to eat,” the Spaniard said. “The last six months just macaroni, macaroni.
“You have to realise it’s difficult. When you realise at Luton, if you win, wow. That is what it is to be in a good way and you give credit to that.
“It’s not just when you win the semi-finals of the Champions League you say how good we are.
“Give credit every game, have the satisfaction we have done it. We had that and we have to recover it.”
Eddie Howe says Bruno Guimaraes ‘at the fulcrum of everything’ for Newcastle
Eddie Howe says Newcastle need Bruno Guimaraes to be at his best for his team to tick.
The 26-year-old Brazil international has hit top form in recent weeks after battling his way through a persistent ankle injury which hampered him for several months, and at times prevented him from reaching the heights of his first few months in England.
However, he was one of the Magpies’ star performers in their Premier League victories over Chelsea and Manchester United either side of a 1-1 Champions League draw at Paris St Germain in which he also excelled, and his return to that level could hardly have been better timed for head coach Howe as he contends with an ongoing selection crisis.
He said: “You need your top players to play really well when you’re in a situation like this that we’re in at the moment, and I think Bruno has certainly done that.
“I thought Manchester United and Chelsea, were up there with his best performances, and the first half against PSG.
“I think he was very, very good with the ball, very creative, managed to get himself connected with the players in front of him. But also off the ball, I thought he was really good, physically excellent, pressed really well.
“He’s such an important person to that part of the game for us that it is hard work for him physically, but he’s able to repeat those physical exertions that we need him to, so I think his game’s in a very good place.
“It has to be for us to perform well because he’s at the fulcrum of everything really.”
Guimaraes arrived at St James’ Park in a £35million switch from French side Lyon in January 2022 and, having been eased into the team, he endeared himself to his manager, team-mates and the club’s fans alike with a series of high-quality individual displays which inspired those around him amid a remarkable drive to safety.
However, he left Fulham in January on crutches and wearing a protective boot after damaging his ankle, and despite a swift recovery initially, it was a problem which recurred repeatedly over several months and his form suffered as a result.
Asked how debilitating that injury was, Howe said: “I don’t know, only Bruno could answer that, really.
“I was aware in certain games he might twist his ankle again and be sore for a period of time, but then he’d always come back from that and be able to sort of run it off.
“I don’t recall him missing many training sessions from it, so I think he’s handled that really well.”
Guimaraes will hope to continue in his rich vein at Tottenham on Sunday, with the Magpies looking to bounce back from Thursday night’s 3-0 defeat at Everton, and Howe is looking for even more from him.
He said: “We want to see him influencing games, deciding games with his quality and if we can continually feed him with the ball, then he’s got the qualities to open up any defence.”
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