04 March 2023 , 17:38
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A clip of Cristiano Ronaldo comforting a 10-year-old boy whose father died in the recent earthquakes which devastated Syria and Turkey last month has gone viral after an Al-Nassr game.
More than 45,000 people died in the earthquakes that struck on February 6, including former Chelsea and Newcastle footballer Christian Atsu. Countless others were injured and vast amounts of people left without access to water, electricity or heat in the aftermath of the quake.
Nabil Saeed, from Syria, was invited to Saudi Arabia after the youngster was caught expressing his desire to see Ronaldo play to a Saudi Arabian rescue team who had travelled to Syria to help in the aftermath of the tragedy. The clip was shared by Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Saudi Board of Directors of General Entertainment Authority, who asked for help identifying the boy on social media.
When Nabil was asked who he would like to travel to Saudi Arabia with, the youngster replied "My father and mother," before correcting himself in an emotional moment.
Eventually, Nabil was tracked down and attended Al-Nassr's match against Al-Batin at the Marsool Park Stadium alongside his mother, where he met his idol this weekend.
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Nabil was visibly delighted to be making the trip, exclaiming, "I cannot believe I am in Saudi Arabia," before he was approached by the multi-time Ballon d'Or winner. An overwhelmed Nabil told the 38-year-old that he loved him before he was hugged by the former Manchester United striker, who then spent time chatting with Nabil. The youngster also replicated Ronaldo's iconic 'Siu' celebration with his idol.
On the pitch, it was an eventful night for Al-Nassr, who had appeared to on the verge of a shock 1-0 defeat against Al-Batin.
Ronaldo embraced Nabil after Al-Nassr's win over Al-BatinBut the Saudi Pro League leaders responded by netting three goals in 15 minutes after the match officials decided there would be a staggering 12 minutes of additional time.
Ronaldo failed to find the net against Al-Batin, who had won just once all season prior to Friday night's match in the Middle East. But Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Mohammed Al-Fatil and Mohammed Maran found the net to spare Al-Nassr's blushes.
Al-Nassr's late, late show was enough to nudge ahead of former leaders Al-Ittihad at the summit of the Saudi Pro League standings in the race for the domestic crown.
Ronaldo also greeted another youngster after the matchThe match marks just the second occasion that Ronaldo has failed to register a goal contribution since moving to the Middle East. The veteran bagged a hat-trick in Al-Nassr's previous game to take his tally to eight goals in just five competitive matches.
Ronaldo signed a two-and-a-half year deal with Al-Nassr after terminating his contract with Manchester United during the World Cup back in November.