- Former Al-Nassr player Fahd Al-Hraifi weighed in on Kingsley Coman's decision during the club's 3-0 win over Al-Diriyah on Friday, October 9
- Coman sparked controversy when he chose to finish a promising attack himself rather than release the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo
- Al-Hraifi said he would have made a different choice in Coman's position, though he also offered reasons why Coman may have acted as he did
Former Al-Nassr player Fahd Al-Hraifi has spoken out about Kingsley Coman's decision to shoot rather than pass to Cristiano Ronaldo during Al-Nassr's 3-0 win over Al-Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League on Friday, October 9.
Coman drew criticism after breaking clear on goal and opting to finish the move himself, bypassing Ronaldo who was in the vicinity.
Source: Getty Images
The moment reignited long-standing debates about selfishness on the pitch and whether players prioritise personal glory over team goals in high-profile matches.
Al-Hraifi slams Coman for not passing
Al-Hraifi, speaking on the programme "Dawrina Ghair," said he anticipated Coman's choice even before it happened, but made clear he would not have done the same.
"When Coman broke clear in the attack I said he wouldn't pass it, but if I had been in his place I would have passed it to Ronaldo," he was quoted by Livescore.
He did, however, offer some context for Coman's thinking.
According to Al-Hraifi, the French winger is under significant pressure to make a name for himself in the Saudi Pro League, and his instinct in that moment was driven by confidence and a natural desire to score.
Al-Hraifi also suggested Coman may have believed Ronaldo was in an offside position at the time.
"Coman is under pressure and is aiming to achieve stardom in the league, and it seems Coman was more confident in himself and has a scoring instinct to find the net, and perhaps he thought Ronaldo was offside too. Even Ronaldo's morale was wonderful and he scored and created," Al-Hraifi added.
Ronaldo's hunt for goal 1000 continues
The backdrop to the controversy is Ronaldo's relentless push towards a milestone that has never been achieved in professional football: 1,000 career goals.
According to Transfermarkt, Ronaldo has scored 980 official career goals, leaving him 20 goals away from the historic 1,000-goal milestone.
The Portuguese captain opened the scoring against Al-Diriyah and continued to drive forward throughout the match, generating several chances in what was a commanding team performance.
Despite the debate over Coman's decision, Ronaldo's energy and attitude drew positive remarks.
His willingness to keep pushing, creating and scoring even amid the discussion about whether he should have received the ball, underlined his competitive drive.
Al-Nassr's comfortable victory kept them on course in their bid for the Saudi Roshn League title, with the team continuing to pick up results as the season progresses.
Portugal FA sanction Ronaldo
Legit.ng previously reported about the Federation of Portuguese Football (FPF) decision to sanction Cristiano Ronaldo after he left the national team's camp in Lisbon without authorisation.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner reportedly had a disagreement with head coach Jorge Jesus after being left out of the squad against Norway despite going through warm-up preparations ahead of the match.
Source: Legit.ng