New Celta Vigo manager Rafael Benitez got his tenure underway in some fashion in the Algarve Trophy, a friendly tournament involving Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. It was the Galician side that looked much better.
Academy product Gael Alonso got the scoring underway in the second half, with Ronaldo coming off early in the second period, as did new signing Marcelo Brozovic.
Un soño cumprido 💙
📌 #RCCelta – @AlNassrFC #TrofeuDoAlgarve | @LaLiga
📷 𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐎: https://t.co/dJqRrZ5bd3 pic.twitter.com/CeaozP1Y0s
— RC Celta (@RCCelta) July 17, 2023
By this point Benitez’s methods were starting to take shape though, and Miguel Rodriguez had added to Jorgen Strand Larsen’s goal to take Celta into a 3-0 lead. Larsen would go on to complete his hat-trick before the end of the match, meaning it finished 5-0 to Benitez and Celta.
Ronaldo, ever gracious in defeat, then declared that the team that had thrashed him did not come from a valid league, the only one being the Premier League.
🚨⛔️ Cristiano Ronaldo: "I won't return to European football, the door is completely closed".
"I'm 38 years old, also European football has lost lot of quality… only valid one is Premier League, they're way ahead of all the other leagues". pic.twitter.com/czxco9PzlM
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 17, 2023
All the same, that will be a footnote for Benitez, who can be content with his side’s opening outing. He changed the entire XI for the second half, and yet without his talisman Iago Aspas, they were able to score five.
They face Benfica on Friday in their other friendly fixture in the Algarve Trophy.
