A year ago
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's efforts to rally his colleagues and encourage them to push harder in order to reverse their fortunes, Al-Nassr, the Saudi Pro League team, were defeated 4-1, their second consecutive loss in pre-season matches.
An exciting event occurred during the game when Angel Di Maria, the skillful Argentine attacker, outwitted the captain himself. Di Maria showed off his skill by carefully chipping the ball over Ronaldo's head, forcing the Portuguese superstar to commit a tactical foul on the 2022 World Cup champion. Di Maria's stunning return to Benfica didn't stop there; he scored after swiftly slipping past the Al-Nassr defence and coolly putting the ball home.Beyond the match, Ronaldo has recently made statements ruling out any return to Europe, stating that the region has "lost a lot of quality" as a result of an increasing number of players heading to the Saudi League. He acknowledged that the Premier League remained one of the greatest leagues, but he criticised the Spanish and Portuguese divisions for declining in quality. Despite Ronaldo's opinions, Al-Nassr's pre-season has been difficult, with defeats to Portuguese champions Porto and a 5-0 setback to Celta Vigo in La Liga. These findings appear to call into question Ronaldo's narrative regarding the current state of European competitions in comparison to the Saudi Pro League.
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Real Madrid is now dealing with a major difficulty because their star striker, Karim Benzema, unexpectedly departed the club to join another team. They attempted to sign Kylian Mbappe, but it does not appear likely. Instead, they signed Joselu on loan from Espanyol, although he may not be the quality striker they require.
Real Madrid is now interested in Dusan Vlahovic, a Juventus player who could be a fantastic fit for their team. Juventus may be willing to let him go for as little as 80 million. The two teams may debate this during an August friendly match in the United States.
Vlahovic joined Juventus from Fiorentina for around 81 million, although he hasn't performed as well as projected, owing in part to his current coach's playing style.