Video: after 240 minutes, Al-Nassr fans mark a historic return for Cristiano Ronaldo

Al-Nassr's fans handed their Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo a historic return to the pitch, ending an absence that had stretched beyond 240 minutes.

The Saudi giants travelled to neighbours Al-Riyadh on Friday at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in the capital, in the second round of the Roshn League.

With his side three goals to the good in the 62nd minute, Australian manager Ange Postecoglou called Ronaldo off the bench, replacing Saudi forward Abdullah Al-Hamdan.

Ronaldo's arrival sent the home fans into raptures. They chanted his name from the moment he began warming up until he crossed the white line in place of Al-Hamdan.

The moment he stepped on, the Portuguese star took the Al-Nassr captain's armband from Saudi defender Abdulelah Al-Amri, who had worn it from the first whistle.

This was Ronaldo's first appearance of the season. He returned to training late, only this week, after wrapping up his stint with Portugal at the 2026 World Cup.

He had sat out Al-Nassr's opening two fixtures: the 3-0 win over Al-Fateh in the first round of the Roshn League, and the 4-1 victory against Al-Diriyah in the round of 32 of the King's Cup.

Ronaldo topped Al-Nassr's scoring charts last season in the Roshn League with 28 goals, finishing third overall in the competition. Only Mexico's Julian Quinones of Al-Qadsiah and England's Ivan Toney of Al-Ahli beat him to it.