Ronaldo missing from Al Nassr’s preseason opener: Why was Cristiano left out of the squad?

Al Nassr are beginning their journey toward the 2025-26 season under new head coach Jorge Jesus, aiming to reach peak physical and competitive form for what promises to be a demanding year. On Saturday, they played their first friendly match, and Cristiano Ronaldo was not in the starting lineup.

As part of their preseason training camp in Austria, Al Nassr faced TSV St. Johann, a third-division team from the European country, marking the team’s first minutes of soccer under coach Jorge Jesus.

Ronaldo was neither in the starting eleven nor among the substitutes for Saturday’s match, but his absence wasn’t due to a tactical decision by the head coach. It was a matter of planning. The Portuguese forward only joined the team’s training sessions on Friday and is not yet in optimal condition to take the field, so the decision was made to avoid unnecessary risks.

This situation arose because Cristiano was granted extended leave by Al Nassr after finishing his previous season later than the rest of the squad, having taken part in the UEFA Nations League where Portugal were crowned champions.

Jorge Jesus is the new coach of Al Nassr.

How did Al Nassr perform in their first friendly?

Despite being without their biggest star, Al Nassr had no trouble securing a dominant 5-2 victory over TSV St. Johann. Sadio Mane, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Mohamed Simakan, Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem, and an own goal by a St. Johann scored for the Saudi club.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s first words after rejoining Al Nassr for European preseason tour

The starting lineup head coach Jorge Jesus chose for his debut match at the helm of Al Nassr was: Bento; Awad Aman, Nader Al-Sharari, Mohamed Simakan, Sultan Al-Ghanam; Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Angelo Gabriel, Marcelo Brozovic, Saad Haqawi; Sadio Mane, Wesley Gassova.

When could Cristiano Ronaldo make his preseason debut?

Al Nassr’s next friendly will be against a more competitive opponent than TSV St. Johann. On Wednesday, they’ll face Toulouse at Untersberg-Arena in the city of Grodig, Austria. With more training sessions under his belt and in a more motivating environment, it’s possible Cristiano Ronaldo will see his first preseason action then.

Following that matchup, Al Nassr have at least two more friendlies on the schedule. The first is next Saturday, August 2, against Sheffield United of England’s Championship, followed by a clash with Almeria of Spain on Sunday, August 10. All of this serves as preparation for the official start of the season, beginning with a match against Al Ittihad in the semifinals of the Saudi Super Cup.