Cristiano Ronaldo missed Al-Nassr’s final training session before the Istiklol Dushanbe match, confirming his absence from the match, which is being played in the AFC Champions League 2.
The Portuguese participated in Al-Nassr’s first two matches in the Saudi League, scoring a goal in one of them and showing excellent physical form.
Al-Riyadh newspaper revealed that coach Jorge Jesus prevented Ronaldo from training and decided to rest him and not include him in the Istiklol Dushanbe match.
There is an agreement between Jesus and Ronaldo not to include him in some of the AFC Champions League 2 matches, considering the competition less important than other domestic competitions and there is no need to tire the 40-year-old out before the 2026 World Cup.
Jesus said in the press conference before the match that his primary goal is to win the Saudi League title this season, and that he considers the AFC Champions League 2 to be as important as the Arab Championship.
Al-Nassr hasn’t won the Saudi league in six years, so Jesus wants to help the club win titles again. Cristiano Ronaldo shares his desire and opinion, so there’s no problem with his absence against Istiklol Dushanbe or any other AFC Champions League 2 match.
