Spanish defender Nacho Fernandez, the captain of Al-Qadisiyah, shared his joy at facing his former Real Madrid teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, who now stars for Al-Nassr.
Al-Qadisiyah secured a thrilling 2-1 victory over Al-Nassr on Friday evening in the 11th round of the Saudi League, with the match taking place at Al-Oula Park stadium.
Despite the defeat, Nacho was unable to stop Ronaldo from finding the net. This marks the first encounter between Ronaldo and Nacho since their departure from Real Madrid, a club where they both played pivotal roles in creating a remarkable legacy.
Ronaldo and Nacho played a total of 117 matches together for Real Madrid between 2010-2011 and 2017-2018, as per data from the “Transfer Market” website. During this period, the pair helped the club secure 4 Champions League titles, including a remarkable three consecutive wins.
In an interview with the Saudi SSC network, Nacho spoke about playing against Ronaldo, saying, “It felt different and challenging. He’s my friend, and we shared some of the best moments of my career together. But here, each of us has our own journey and is focused on his individual goals.”
He added, “It’s an honor to face Ronaldo after everything we experienced together at Real Madrid.”
Reflecting on the match itself, Nacho stated, “I’m very happy with today’s win. We knew it would be a tough match, but we were confident in our ability to win. We maintained that mindset and played solid football.”
He continued, “Our goal is to keep winning. We’re seeing positive results, but we’re taking it one game at a time. Right now, our focus is on the next match against Al-Fateh.”
Al-Qadisiyah currently sits in fifth place in the Saudi League standings with 22 points, tied with Al-Nassr and Al-Shabab, who occupy third and fourth, respectively, with only goal difference separating the teams.
