Portuguese Football in English
Cristiano Ronaldo truly announced himself at new club Al Nassr on Thursday night by scoring all four goals in a 4-0 victory at Al Wehda in the Pro League.
In doing so, the Portugal captain surpassed another incredible milestone by reaching over 500 league goals scored at club level. Ronaldo was one goal away from the landmark figure and now sits on 503 goals scored for Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and now Al Nassr.
Rafael Leão has been speaking to Italian media about his childhood football memories, and the AC Milan forward disclosed that he was originally set to sign for Benfica’s academy.
Now considered one of the most valuable footballers in the world, Leão came through the ranks at Sporting before heading to Lille and later Milan. However, according to the Almada native things could have been quite different had Benfica kept a promise made to him as a youngster.
Cristiano Ronaldo features in our goals round-up for the first time in almost four months, having scored his first competitive goal for new club Al Nassr at the start of the weekend’s action. Ronaldo’s late penalty saw Al Nassr snatch a point in a 2-2 draw at Al Fateh in the Saudi Arabian Pro League.
Elsewhere, there was a memorable victory for Wolverhampton Wanderers, who beat Liverpool 3-0 in the Premier League with captain Rúben Neves among the scorers. André Gomes produced his best performance of the season so far for Paulo Fonseca’s Lille, scoring in their 3-1 win at Rennes, while Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring from the spot as Manchester United earned victory.
One of the most exciting deals of the winter transfer window was Braga forward Vitinha’s move to French giants Marseille on deadline day.
The 22-year-old headed to the Stade Vélodrome for €32m, representing a record sale for the Arsenalistas. Speaking on the change, Vitinha revealed he has family ties in France, while confirming Marseille were always his first choice despite interest from the Premier League.
Winter transfer deadline day was certainly busy for Portuguese clubs and players. As well as the high-profile departures from the Primeira Liga during the final hours of the window, Seleção international João Cancelo completed his surprise switch from Manchester City to Bayern Munich on loan.
Braga’s record sale fee has been broken, meanwhile, as forward Vitinha joins French giants Marseille in a deal reportedly worth €32m. Veteran Portugal defender Cédric Soares was also on the move, but remains in London having switched Premier League leaders Arsenal for Marco Silva’s Fulham.
