Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted at half-time because on Thursday, during his pre-season tour in Japan, Al Nasr played a 1-1 draw against the Champions League finalists, Inter Milan.

Abdulrahman Ghareeb opened the scoring for Al Nasr in the first half, while David Fratesi equalized for Inter just a minute before half-time.

In January, Ronaldo, the superstar from Portugal, joined Al Nasr from Manchester United, a moment that attracted global attention to Saudi football. Since then, the Public Investment Fund – one of the world’s richest sovereign wealth funds – has continued recruiting players for Saudi clubs from Europe’s biggest leagues, including the inclusion of France’s striker Karim Benzema, who moved from Real Madrid to Al Ittihad.

Alex Telles, on Sunday, made his debut with Al Nasr alongside Ronaldo and marked his first appearance in Osaka. The Brazilian left-back created a clear chance in the 20th minute, but Inter’s goalkeeper Filip Stankovic saved Hamed Al Tuhaylis’ header.