Cristiano Ronaldo misses Al Nassr’s first preseason training: What’s behind CR7’s absence?

After signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo secured his stay in Saudi Arabia through at least June 30, 2027. However, as the team returned to training ahead of the 2025–26 season, the Portuguese star was notably absent.

On Thursday, Al Nassr resumed training at Al-Awwal Park with the goal of beginning work under new head coach Jorge Jesus, who arrived this summer following his stint with Al Hilal to replace Stefano Pioli.

Ronaldo was not on the list of players present at the first preseason session due to a special exemption. “Al Nassr has announced that Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Simakan will join the team’s training camp in Austria, following approval from the technical staff,” reported TheNassrZone on their X account.

Al Nassr played their last official match on May 26, a 3–2 loss to Al Fateh in the final Matchday of the Saudi Pro League. After that, Cristiano joined the Portugal national team, with whom he won the UEFA Nations League title in early June. Since then, CR7 has been enjoying his vacation and is set to join team training when the full squad arrives in Europe on Sunday, July 20.

Jorge Jesus is the new coach of Al Nassr.

In Austria, Al Nassr will continue their preseason preparations and play three friendly matches. They are then scheduled to travel to Portugal, where fans will have the opportunity to watch CR7 in two additional games.

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The stars present at Al Nassr’s first training session

Cristiano Ronaldo’s situation is an exception, as the vast majority of the squad was present for Jorge Jesus’ first training session. That includes several international stars, some of whom still have uncertain futures with the club.

Reporter Abdulaziz Al-Asimi shared on his official X account that Otavio, Sadio Mane, Bento, Marcelo Brozovic, Wesley, Aymeric Laporte, and Angelo were all in attendance on Thursday. However, their continued presence at the Saudi club will depend on the new head coach’s assessment of the squad’s needs for the upcoming season.

When will Al Nassr play their next official match?

Once the friendly matches in Europe are complete, Al Nassr will wrap up their preseason and return to Saudi Arabia to prepare for the start of the 2025–26 season. Their first official match is scheduled for August 18, when they will face reigning Pro League champions Al Ittihad in the semifinals of the Saudi Super Cup.