Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia has said that all he wants for Cristiano Ronaldo is for him to enjoy his football and smile.
The striker has endured a difficult few months which saw him leave Manchester United on acrimonious terms after giving an explosive interview in which he took aim at various aspects and figures associated with the club.
This was immediately followed by the World Cup, which started well but ended with him being relegated to the bench for Portugal’s two straight knockout matches, leading to a reported clash with then national team coach Fernando Santos.
His forays into the club and international team came just months after Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, suffered the tragedy of losing a son in April when they were expecting twins.
Ronaldo himself touched on those difficult moments in his interview with Piers Morgan in November, calling it ‘probably the worst moment’ of his life.
Speaking about his role in ensuring the Saudi Arabian club sees the best version of Ronaldo, Garcia stressed that all he wanted to see was for the Portuguese to smile and have fun on the pitch again.
“The only thing I want is for him to enjoy playing football again and smile,” declared Al Nassr’s strategist.
“In the last months, between United, the national team and his private life, he has not had it easy. If he regains the joy of the game, our objective will be fulfilled.”
Garcia’s comments come amid speculation about when Ronaldo could make his debut for the club.
The Portuguese was on hand to see his new team-mates beat Al-Ta’ee 2-0 on Friday night to retain their place at the top of the league.