On March 3, Al Nassr Club announced the lineup for the first leg of the AFC Champions League Elite round of 16 against Iran’s Esteghlal FC away, but surprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo was absent.
Ronaldo is not injured, absent due to fear of crazy fans
According to AS (Spain): “Ronaldo’s absence from Al Nassr’s squad for the trip to Tehran (Iran) to meet Esteghlal FC may be due to concerns about the player’s safety after a series of incidents of crazy fans breaking into the hotel that occurred here in September 2023”.
Al Nassr meets Esteghlal FC in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Elite round of 16 at Azadi away at 11 p.m. on March 3. The second leg will be played on March 11 (Vietnam time).
This is also the tournament where Ronaldo hopes to win his first official championship, after more than 2 years of playing in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, in the Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr was pushed down to 4th place by its opponents, 10 points behind the leader Al Ittihad after 23 rounds. Previously, Ronaldo’s team also failed in its goals of winning the King’s Cup and Super Cup in the 2024 – 2025 season.
Ronaldo is eager to play in the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League Elite, in order to increase Al Nassr’s chances of winning the championship.
After the result against Iran’s Esteghlal FC, the Saudi Arabian team’s leadership realized that the 40-year-old Portuguese star would have difficulty playing the first leg away, so they asked the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) to switch to a neutral venue.
However, the AFC rejected Al Nassr’s request to keep the match venue in Tehran (Iran) for the first leg. Therefore, Al Nassr had to leave Ronaldo at home to avoid any bad risks.
During the trip here in September 2023, also competing in the AFC Champions League Elite, Ronaldo and Al Nassr Club experienced many terrifying moments, when many Iranian fans ran after the team bus, stormed the hotel to ask for autographs. Security to protect Ronaldo and Al Nassr players was tightened at that time, but the incident still happened. It even interrupted the match.
“Officials hope that this year’s match will be better protected, but Ronaldo decided not to take risks in the first leg. He will rest and wait to play in the second leg on March 11,” AS said.
Without Ronaldo, Al Nassr still brought their best stars to Iran such as Sadio Mane, Jhon Duran and Marcelo Brozovic. Therefore, they will still hope to gain an advantage against Esteghlal FC in the first leg, before returning home to complete their place in the quarter-finals and brighten their chances of winning the title.
In the same bracket, if they continue to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite, Ronaldo and Al Nassr could face opponents in Saudi Arabia such as Al Hilal or Al Ahli.
