Cristiano Ronaldo red-faced in Saudi by Tottenham flop who disappointed Pochettino

Cristiano Ronaldo may have dispelled some of goalscoring woes in Saudi Arabia after scoring twice on Monday. But the Manchester United icon has been left red-faced after being outdone by a former Tottenham flop.

After a slow start to the season, the 39-year-old was at the double when he grabbed a brace in Al-Nassr’s 3-1 victory over Al-Gharafa in the AFC Champions League group stage.

It means Ronaldo has now notched four goals in his last four games, but he is still some way short of the level many expect him to be.

The Portuguese icon has hit seven goals in 10 league appearances for his club Al-Nassr this term, which is some way below the 35 he managed in the Saudi Pro League last year.

Even though he turns 40 in February, Ronaldo still would fancy himself to dominate the goalscoring charts in Saudi Arabia.

Instead, he is currently four goals behind ex-Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has 12 goals for Al-Hilal this season.

Ronaldo is also one behind his former Real Madrid colleague Karim Benzema and, perhaps worse, he is currently level with one-time Spurs forward Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

Signed in 2016 from Marseille by Mauricio Pochettino, N’Koudou was ditched by the Premier League club after a nightmare three-year spell in England.

He is now playing for Saudi outfit Damac, who he joined in 2023 after spending four years with Besiktas. And the Cameroonian is enjoying life in the Arabian Gulf, scoring 22 goals in 42 appearances since leaving Turkey.

The 29-year-old is tied with seven goals with Ronaldo, although he has played one game more. However, the numbers suggest he is more potent in front of goal with a conversion rate of 45 per cent, while Ronaldo has failed to score with 11 of his 18 shots on target.

When comparing the duo’s salary, it’s clear that Damac are certainly getting a bargain as opposed to Ronaldo’s astronomical payday.

While N’Koudou earns a decent living with Damac – banking a reported £4.5m annually according to Sporty Salary – his incomes pales in comparison to Ronaldo’s extraordinary wage packet.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner signed a two-year contract worth £344m in December 2022. With an annual remuneration of £172m, the superstar pockets a mammoth amount that is 38 times greater than N’Koudou’s salary.

Of course, Ronaldo’s global appeal as one of sport’s most marketable figures helps Al-Nassr sell shirts and tickets.

But on the pitch, there isn’t much between the two attackers – and that reflects poorly on Ronaldo given that N’Koudou was dumped by Spurs after scoring one goal in 27 appearances.

They will meet on Friday with third-placed Al-Nassr looking to close the gap on the breakaway pair Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal at the top. And if they are to overcome Damac and N’Koudou, Ronaldo will need to be firing on all cylinders.