Cristiano Ronaldo was already banned from making his debut for Al-Nassr (Anadolu Agency via Getty)
Al-Nassr’s first game since signing Cristiano Ronaldo has been called off after heavy rainfall in Riyadh.
The 37-year-old, who has signed a contract with the Saudi Arabian club worth £175 million a year, was officially unveiled earlier this week.
However, Ronaldo has been forced to wait to make his debut as he is currently serving a two-match suspension from the Football Association after he smashed an Everton fan’s phone during a Premier League game last April.
Despite Ronaldo now playing in Saudi Arabia, FIFA’s regulations state that players still need to serve their bans even after moving to a different league.
But Al-Nassr’s first game of the Ronaldo era was postponed on Thursday after rain in the Saudi Arabian capital caused electrical problems at the Mrsool Park stadium.
A statement from Al-Nassr read: ‘Due to heavy rain and weather conditions impacting the stadium’s electricity, we have been officially informed that tonight’s match against Al-Ta’ee is postponed for 24 hours.
‘We apologise for any inconvenience caused to fans and wish everyone safe travels.’
Cristiano Ronaldo was officially unveiled by Al-Nassr this week (MB Media/Getty)
Speaking earlier this week, Ronaldo claimed he had turned down approaches from all over the world in order to join Al-Nassr.
‘I had many opportunities in Europe and many clubs in Brazil, Australia, USA and even in Portugal, many clubs tried to sign me. But I gave my word to this club,’ Ronaldo said.
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‘I know what I want, and I know what I don’t want. For me, it’s a good challenge to change and to help with my knowledge and experience to grow many important points here.
‘I want to give a different vision of the country, of the football. This is why I took this opportunity.’
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