Explosive statements

Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been handed a surprise request from a former Saudi football star, one that concerns which matches the Portuguese should play during the coming period given the varying quality of opposition across the Roshn Pro League.

Ronaldo stole the spotlight on Thursday evening. He led Al-Nassr to a 5-3 win over Al-Khaleej in the twelfth round of the Roshn League, firing a hat-trick to prove once again that he can make the difference against lesser opponents.

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Ahmed Attif, the former Saudi international, wants Ronaldo used more often against the sides who are not chasing the title. Speaking on the programme "Doreena Ghair", he said: "It is better for Ronaldo to feature in matches such as these against the clubs that are not competing for the title."

The forward can be devastating against teams sitting in mid-table or lower, Attif argued. "Ronaldo will perform well against clubs of the size of Al-Khaleej and others of the same level, and he will score many goals, and the situation will be different against competitive teams," he added.

Attif then went further still. He urged Ronaldo to sit out the biggest fixtures against the top clubs entirely, saying: "I call on Ronaldo not to feature in the big matches against the top clubs, and he should feature against the teams at the bottom and in mid-table."

Those words land as a real jolt for Ronaldo, particularly after the display he produced against Al-Khaleej. He now has 7 goals, enough for third place on the Roshn Pro League scoring charts.