Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of the Saudi team Al Nassr, will not be participating in the upcoming match against Qatar’s Al Duhail in the AFC Champions League.
Al Nassr is set to visit Al Duhail on Tuesday evening, in the fourth round of the group stage of the continental tournament.
The unexpected absence of Ronaldo from this clash comes after he was not included in the squad that departed for Doha, according to various Saudi media reports.
Portuguese coach Luis Castro has decided to rest Ronaldo due to concerns over fatigue from the accumulation of matches since the season’s start.
هُنـا قطـر 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/AJ1Bg7KU2D
— نادي النصر السعودي (@AlNassrFC) November 6, 2023
Ronaldo has been a key player in Al Nassr’s lineup this season, actively participating in both domestic and Asian tournaments, as well as playing for the Portuguese national team in the European qualifiers.
Given that he has reached the age of 38, Castro saw the need to give the Portuguese star a break, especially as Al Nassr is close to securing qualification to the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League.
Al Nassr currently leads Group 5 with 9 points, three points ahead of the second-placed team, Persepolis of Iran.
It is noteworthy that Ronaldo scored twice during Al Nassr’s thrilling 4-3 victory over Al Duhail in the previous round.
To date, Ronaldo has played 16 matches with Al Nassr across all competitions, scoring 15 goals and providing 9 assists, and he is the top scorer in the Saudi league with 12 goals.
