Anderson Talisca has promised his long-term future to Al-Nassr, seemingly with no ill will towards teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
After spells in Turkey and China, Brazilian forward Talisca joined the Saudi club in 2021 and scored 20 goals in his first season in Riyadh. He is also Al-leading Nassr’s scorer this season, though mid-season arrival Ronaldo is closing in.
Ronaldo’s first goal came at the expense of Talisca, with the veteran stealing the ball and scoring from the penalty spot. After that incident, Talisca sent an angry message to his colleague, but he has moved on by signing a new contract.
“Talisca is staying,” Al-Nassr said on Twitter. “He extended his contract until 2026.”
The player himself captioned a photo from the contract announcement, “the story continues.” His new contract comes after he scored 16 goals in 16 league games this season, plus one in the Saudi Super Cup as Al-Nassr lost to Al-Ittihad in the semi-finals.
Talisca shares the Saudi Pro League scoring lead with Al-former Hilal’s Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo. Ronaldo is already fifth in the standings, having scored 11 goals in just nine appearances.
Anderson Talisca
Al-Nassr are still second in the league, a point behind Al-Ittihad, who have only lost once this season. The situation has prompted speculation that manager Rudi Garcia could be replaced by Jose Mourinho, and Mourinho’s relationship with his former Real Madrid charge Ronaldo has been strained.
“I don’t agree with his methods,” Ronaldo said of Mourinho during his first season at the Bernabeu. “But I have to adapt to what is asked of me.” “This is how it is. “We have a plan.”
While Mourinho’s Real Madrid did not win the Champions League, they did have a number of tense battles for dominance with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. When asked about their time together in 2013, the manager was full of praise for his compatriot.
“Ronaldo is a fantastic player.” There will be no other like Zinedine Zidane for the French. “He’s incredible, a goal-scoring machine,” Mourinho said.
“Coaching him was the pinnacle of my career for me.” I’ve never met a more professional player. A coach and a player may disagree at times, but that is the end of it.”
Al-next Nassr’s two league games are away from home, against bottom-half Al-Fayha and third-placed Al-Hilal. They are also still in the King Cup semi-finals and will play Al-Wehda at Mrsool Park on April 24 for a place in the final.