Ronaldo’s team-mate shares how squad reacted to captain losing armand

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Al-Nassr midfielder Jaloliddin Masharipov has shed light on the mood around the club after it was confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo would be taking the armband. The Saudi outfit immediately stripped previous skipper Abdullah Madu of the armband to make their new superstar acquisition their new leader after pulling off the major coup in January.

Yet there was no frustration within the Al-Nassr dressing room as they respected that Ronaldo was now the best player to lead the group on the basis of his experience and his winning mentality.

Masharipov said on the cut-throat decision: “It’d be a little strange if the rest of the players are captaining Ronaldo. We expected it.

“Our former captain willingly handed over the armband [to Cristiano Ronaldo] without any problems. I think this is the best solution. It cannot be otherwise.”

Last month, Ronaldo also captained an All-Star XI against Paris Saint-Germain made up of players from both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal respectively.

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From that moment onwards it was pretty clear that he was to be instilled as captain of his new club, who have pulled out all the stops to bring him to the Middle East.

It’s not been the best of starts in Saudi Arabia for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, however.

Although his debut resulted in a hard-fought 1-0 win over Ettifaq FC, it’s been downhill from there for Ronaldo and Co.

Firstly, they were beaten 3-1 in the Saudi Super Cup by Nuno Espirito Santo’s Al-Ittihad before being held in the league to Al-Fateh.

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Ronaldo netted his first competitive goal in the clash from the penalty spot but it wasn’t enough to secure victory for Rudi Garcia’s side.

Al-Nassr are currently top of the Saudi Pro League but they are now level on points with Al-Shabab, who are hot on their tail.

Ex-Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo plays alongside Ronaldo and the Brazilian claims opposition teams are now trying harder to stop Al-Nassr – which is why their form has been inconsistent.

“Certainly, the presence of Cristiano makes it difficult for us as all teams seek to participate against him in the best possible way,” Gustavo told RT Arabic. “He gives motivation to everyone.”

Gustavo also talked up the impact Ronaldo has made on the dressing room, stating his team-mates are now improving because of the high standards he has helped implement.

“His presence with Al-Nassr gives a great advantage to the group because we learn from him every day, given the great capabilities he possesses, both technically and physically,” the Brazilian added.

Ronaldo, who left Manchester United in November via the mutual termination of his contract, turned 38 on February 5 as he seeks to write more history in the final chapter of his illustrious career.

He is already showing signs of forming an exciting partnership in attack for Al-Nassr with Anderson Talisca, who scored and was also sent-off in the 2-2 draw with Al-Fateh.

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