Riyadh offers Cristiano Ronaldo a return to routine on Friday, with Al-Nassr preparing to host Diriyah at Al-Awwal Park in the eighth round of the Saudi league. The Portuguese forward has been selected and is expected to start after reporting back to the club on Monday, following a turbulent international break that ended with his departure from Portugal’s camp.
The match is scheduled for 15:00 Brasília time on 15 October. For Ronaldo, it is the first opportunity to play since Portugal’s Nations League opener against Wales two weeks ago, when he started in Jorge Jesus’s first match in charge and completed 67 minutes.
His return to Saudi Arabia comes after a disagreement with Jesus, the coach with whom he had enjoyed a successful season at Al-Nassr in 2025-26. Jesus had arrived from Al-Hilal and helped Al-Nassr win the Saudi title, with Ronaldo a regular starter and a major source of goals. Their relationship was also seen as an important factor in Jesus’s eventual appointment as Portugal coach after Roberto Martínez’s exit.
The first days of the new international partnership had appeared calm. Ronaldo joined Jesus at the pre-Wales press conference, stayed to listen after his own answers had finished, and heard his manager praise him while stressing that places in the national side depended on performance. Jesus had also made clear at his unveiling that Ronaldo remained part of his plans, although selection decisions would be made for the collective rather than any individual.
The fault line emerged during the later Nations League fixtures. Ronaldo had been told he could be used for roughly 20 to 30 minutes in the away match against Norway. He was sent out to warm up soon after half-time, but never entered the game as Gonçalo Ramos scored the decisive goal. Ronaldo left the pitch area visibly frustrated after the final whistle.
There had also been a previous match in which Ronaldo began among the substitutes, with Ramos selected instead, as Jesus had indicated beforehand. The issue was not the rotation itself but the altered plan for Ronaldo’s involvement against Norway. He missed Portugal’s next training session, prompting speculation around the camp, before the president of the Portuguese Football Federation visited the squad base and met both player and coach. That meeting was described as constructive.
Yet the dispute intensified after Jesus addressed the matter in a press conference. He rejected the suggestion of a serious rift, saying the course of the Norway match had changed his intended substitution. He acknowledged that asking Ronaldo to warm up and then not using him had been his mistake, but insisted that the coach alone determines team selection regardless of a player’s standing.
Ronaldo then left Parken Stadium before training began and announced online that he was departing the camp. He flew by private jet from Copenhagen to Madrid before continuing on to Riyadh. Portugal went on to win all four matches in the sequence — against Wales, Denmark and Norway twice — without him.
After the final fixture, played at Porto’s Estádio do Dragão, Jesus said Ronaldo could return to the national set-up if he wished. He maintained that no apology had been promised and again underlined his authority over footballing decisions. The coach did not make further public comments during the remainder of the international schedule.
Ronaldo subsequently issued a lengthy statement accepting responsibility for leaving the group and apologising to supporters and team-mates. He said he expected to face punishment, but accused Jesus of breaking his word. Ronaldo said that an eight-point document had been prepared for the coach to address at the press conference which preceded his departure, and argued that those points were not covered. He also objected to what he viewed as an overly authoritarian tone.
Although Ronaldo did not name Jesus in that statement, he made clear that their relationship had suffered a breach of trust. At the same time, he said he wants to remain available for Portugal. Al-Nassr’s new coach, Ange Postecoglou, has since said that the 40-year-old is ready both mentally and physically as the Saudi campaign resumes in Riyadh.
