Cristiano Ronaldo ruled out of Al Nassr's Champions League match

Al-Nassr will be without their star man Cristiano Ronaldo when they line up for their first fixture of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite. The Knights of Najd are set to battle Iranian side Al Shorta on Monday, September 16.

However, they will be without Ronaldo who has been ruled out of the tie after he was diagnosed with a viral infection that has left him unwell. The club made this known in a medical report released on Sunday (September 15).

According to the statement, the Al-Nassr captain will not travel with the team as he needs to rest and stay at his place as per the team's doctor's request. The club wished their skipper a quick recovery as they embarked on the Champions League encounter.

Ronaldo was in action a few days ago as he returned to club duties after the international break. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who reached a personal milestone of 900 career goals during the break, played the entirety of Al-Nassr's league clash against Al-Ahli. The match ended 1-1, with Ronaldo failing to find the net in the encounter.

The Saudi Arabian outfit will hope to kickstart their Champions League campaign on a positive note without their skipper after an indifferent start to the season. They are currently sixth in the Saudi Pro League table with one win and two draws from three games.

Al-Nassr have been grouped alongside 11 other clubs including fellow Saudi sides (Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal) in the West region of the new AFC Champions League Elite format.

How has Cristiano Ronaldo performed for Al-Nassr this season?

Cristiano Ronaldo has begun the new season in fine form for Al-Nassr. The Portuguese has registered four goals and two assists in five games for the Knights of Najd this term.

The 39-year-old registered a goal and an assist in his first outing for the club as they saw off Al-Taawoun 2-0 in the semifinal of the Saudi Super Cup. In the final against Al-Hilal, he opened the scoring with a first-half strike, but Al-Nassr lost 4-1.

Ronaldo took his goalscoring form to the league, as he netted his side's goal in their 1-1 league opener versus Al-Raed. In the following game, he bagged another goal and an assist as his side defeated Al-Fayha 4-1 away from home.

So far, Cristiano Ronaldo has only failed to register a goal contribution in his last outing against Al-Ahli, which ended 1-1.