This was the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo to his new club 0:58
(CNN) --
Cristiano Ronaldo will not make his debut for Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr for at least two weeks.
His club confirmed to Reuters on Friday that the Portuguese superstar will have to serve a two-match ban imposed by the English Football Association in November 2022.
Ronaldo was punished for throwing an Everton fan's phone on the ground after his former club Manchester United lost at the hands of the Liverpool-based outfit.
FIFA rules stipulate that, even after a player changes association, any ban of up to four matches handed down by previous associations must be "applied by the new association."
Cristiano Ronaldo: "In Europe my work had already finished"
So when will Ronaldo make his debut at the Saudi club?
The ban means the earliest the 37-year-old can make his debut is January 22, when Al Nassr take on Al-Ettifaq at their home stadium, Mrsool Park.
advertising
Ronaldo was unveiled at Mrsool Park on Tuesday amid great fanfare.
Ronaldo signed a deal with Al Nassr, as reported by the Saudi state company, worth around $200 million a year.
The club posted on Twitter a photo of Ronaldo holding Al Nassr's yellow jersey with the number 7. “Making history.
This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to even greater success, but will also inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls, to be the best version of themselves.
Welcome @Cristiano to your new home @AlNassrFC", said the message that accompanied the image.
Cristiano Ronaldo in his presentation as a player of Al Nassr.
Al Nassr, a club from the first division of Saudi Arabia that was little known in international football until a few days ago, said they were proud of the arrival of Ronaldo, who has gone through the most important international clubs in the world.
The Portuguese joins the second club with the most titles in the Saudi league for two seasons, where there are already several Latin Americans, such as the Colombian David Ospina and the Brazilian international, Luiz Gustavo.
Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United from Juventus for a second spell at Old Trafford in August 2021 on a two-year contract, returning to the club where he won eight major trophies between 2003 and 2009.
He is Portugal's all-time top international scorer, winner of the Ballon d'Or award for best footballer of the year five times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), and the European Golden Boot four times (2007-08, 2010-11, 2013-14 and 2014-15).
Cristiano Ronaldo
