Rodgers, who became the head coach of Al-Qadsiah last month, took on Ronaldo’s side, managed by Jorge Jesus, at Al-Awwal Park.

The two were spotted warmly embracing each other before the match.

Rodgers had the last laugh when his team achieved a 2-1 away victory against the Saudi Arabian side, despite Ronaldo scoring a penalty in the second half.

Cristiano greets Al Qadsiah coach, Brendan Rodgers.pic.twitter.com/CDXWeAIhfo

— Al Nassr Zone (@TheNassrZone) January 8, 2026

Goals from Julian Quinones and Nahitan Nandez ensured a third consecutive win for Al-Qadsiah under Rodgers, having collected 10 out of a potential 12 points since he took charge.

Their recent success has seen them climb to fourth place in the Saudi Pro League, trailing eight points behind league leaders Al-Hilal.

Reflecting on his recent move to Saudi Arabia, Rodgers brought with him assistants John Kennedy and Jack Lyons, both of whom he previously worked with at Celtic.

He said: “When I first arrived (here), it made a real family feeling. From the first time we arrived, all the staff and all the people have looked after us so well. It gave me a really, really positive feeling.”

Rodgers also praised the quality of the Saudi Pro League and its participants, acknowledging the high-level skill set of players and the calibre of managers across the teams.

He added: “Clearly, what the Saudi Pro League has is top players and top coaches. I feel that when you study, and you look at the quality of the games, a lot of the games are of high quality.

“I’m really excited about working in the league against the top teams and some of these fantastic coaches that are already in this great league.”

He expressed confidence that the league’s standard improves with every season, claiming that it has the potential to be a top league in the world.

He said: “There’s no doubt that season on season it (Saudi Pro League) is improving.

“There is clearly a top five league in European football and world football, and the Saudi Pro League is a league that, year on year, is improving and getting better, and obviously, it is attracting some fantastic players.

“I think it’s a really competitive league. It’s a real great challenge, and it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.”