Ange Postecoglou has opened up on whether Cristiano Ronaldo will feature for Al-Nassr in their game against Diriyah. The Saudi Pro League champions will take on Diriyah in the Round of 32 of the King Cup of Champions on Tuesday, August 18.
Al-Nassr were without their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo in their Saudi Pro League opener against Al Fateh on Saturday, August 15. The Knight of Najd, however, did well to start their title defence with an impressive 3-0 win.
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Angelo Gabriel, Joao Felix and Samu Costa found the back of the net to secure all three points for Ange Postecoglou’s side. Following the win, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager did not confirm whether Ronaldo will return to the side against Diriyah on Tuesday. He said, as quoted by Al Nassr Zone on X:
“Yes, Cristiano is always present. As for whether he will play in the match, I don’t know, and I’ll make my decision later.”
Cristiano Ronaldo ended his summer break and returned to training with Al-Nassr following a summer break after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He announced his return on Instagram with a caption ‘BACK’ but has since tied the knot in Cascais, Portugal, on August 11.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar has scored 123 goals and provided 24 assists in 142 appearances for Al-Nassr till date. He won his first Saudi Pro League title last season, having scored 30 goals and provided five assists in 37 appearances across competitions last season.
Patrice Evra predicts how long Cristiano Ronaldo will keep playing
Former Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra has predicted how long will his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo will keep playing. The Frenchman shared the pitch 121 times with the Portuguese superstar at Old Trafford and had two joint goal participations.
Evra has predicted that Ronaldo will keep on playing for two more years before finally hanging up his boots. He has labelled the ex-Juventus star’s work ethic and passion for the game as a ‘disease’. Evra said:
“work ethic, his passion, I never played with anybody else who was more professional than Cristiano. Like I said, training was at 10 a.m. and this guy was showing himself at 8 a.m. practicing everything. I feel that Cristiano has a nice disease! How do you say it in English? He’s addicted.”
He added:
“He’s addicted to working hard, and to pushing himself. And that’s why I’m not surprised with his longevity. He can still play for another one or two years and I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Even at the age of 41, Cristiano Ronaldo remains a physical specimen and is still a key player for both club and country. He has scored 976 goals till date and is chasing the milestone of becoming the only player to have scored 1000 goals.
Edited by Snehanjan Banerjee
