Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema hugged and chatted warmly before the match in round 18 of the Saudi Pro League between Al Nassr and Al Ittihad.

In the early morning of December 27, before the match between Al Ittihad and Al Nassr took place, two former Real Madrid players, Ronaldo and Benzema, hugged and talked very deeply in the tunnel. It was clear that the veteran pair were on very good terms with each other from their chat right before the heat of the match.

However, the competition between Al Ittihad and Al Nassr took place with a dreamlike scenario for Ronaldo and a forgettable one for Benzema. While the French striker was stunned in 90 minutes of play, CR7 shone brightly with a double from the penalty spot to help Al Nassr win 5-2.

By scoring two goals in the last match, Ronaldo also officially became the best striker in 2023 with 53 goals, one goal more than the two people behind Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane.

Ronaldo shares a close moment with Benzema in the tunnel (source: Twitter).

Ronaldo and Benzema are among the greatest players of their generation, especially Ronaldo. The pair won countless titles and played together for nine years at Los Blancos. Now, they are still showing they can succeed even though their respective careers are in the waning stages after being among the big names moving to the Saudi Pro League.

After this match, Al Nassr ends 2023 with a trip to Al Taawoun on December 30, while Al Ittihad meets Al Tai a day earlier. Both teams are in the top half of the table and will want to end 2023 strongly.