Cristiano Ronaldo was treated to a hero's welcome during his first appearance since moving to the Saudi Pro-League, and sent the Saudi Arabian crowd into a fervour with a wave from the bench.
Having scored twice against Lionel Messi and PSG for a Saudi All-Stars team, the Portugal icon was substituted in the second half before sending a kiss and a wave to the home crowd, who were sent into a frenzy at the merest glance from their hero.
While the jubilant Saudi crowd lapped up every second of their new idol's presence, there was a sadness to the affair as it appeared to mark the end of Ronaldo's long rivalry with Messi
The new Al-Nassr star wasted no time in endearing himself to the Riyadh crowd, proving that he does still have the ability to live up to the occasion with two goals.
But if that was not enough for the 68,000 spectators inside the King Fahd Stadium - who also went into a frenzy after the 37-year-old's outrageous nutmeg - a kiss and a wave towards the crowd saw the volume inside the ground reach a new high.
With their side 5-3 down after 90 minutes, the Saudi All-Stars fans were apparently nonplussed judging by the noise that was still flying round the ground, with Ronaldo's performance evidently all they had come to see.
The player for his part also looked ecstatic at being cast as the centre of attention on a night which was almost the embodiment of spectacle as the biggest names on the planet played out an exhibition friendly.
Ronaldo himself confirmed this in a tweet, saying: 'So happy to be back on the pitch, and on the score sheet!! And nice to see some old friends!'
And that happiness was noted by fans watching the game, with one writing on Twitter: 'Ronaldo is smiling in Saudi. After a difficult past year he deserves to be happy.'
Another suggested his happiness was more important than whether or not he returns to the European stage, adding: 'Ronaldo being happy and scoring goals has made my day, Saudi was a good call.
'Maybe he comes back to Europe, maybe not. He’s happy and that’s what matters.'
A third viewer thanked the 'Saudis' for facilitating the game: 'Ronaldo is out, he absolutely nailed it today, I am so glad to watch him happy on the field.
'This was needed to boost his confidence back. Thanks to Saudis for making it happen.'
One fan wished that Ronaldo could maintain his happiness levels for the rest of his Al-Nassr career: 'Ronaldo with 2 goals with a weak Saudi Side is literally a good start to 2023 Hopefully he remains happy and has a good season.'
And a fifth went as far as to suggest whether Messi might take note of his rival's devoted supports and follow suit in the future: 'I guess this might be the moment #Messi started to seriously consider accepting a Saudi offer after seeing how happy #Ronaldo looks when he accepted his.'
