CRISTIANO RONALDO was left out of Al-Nassr’s AFC Champions League Elite squad due to tactical reasons amid security issues in Saudi Arabia.
, 41, netted a hat-trick for Ange Postecoglou’s side on Thursday’s 5-3 win over Al-Kholood to take his all-time tally to a staggering 985 goals across his glittering 24-year career.
However, , 61, opted against taking his captain with the rest of the squad to Uzbekistan for the crunch clash with Pakhtakor due to the “pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved”.
The Aussie tactician made a similar decision regarding Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan, who ended up resting alongside the five-time winner.
This comes after serious security concerns in ‘s most recent AFC Champions League fixture last month against Neftchi in Saudi Arabia.
The game was dealt with a 20-minute delay prior to kick-off following a security alert.
It came after a number of attacks on airports across the country by Houthi rebels.
Al-Nassr went on to play the match and Ronaldo was on target as they won 3-1 at Al-Awwal Park.
But their following AFC Champions League fixture had to be completely postponed last week as UAE-based side Al-Wasl refused to travel to over safety fears.
The Middle Eastern nation has been dealing with security concerns ever since the US and Israel’s joint attacks in Iran that plunged the region in disarray nine months ago.
Ronaldo currently counts nine goals in 12 appearances with Al-Nassr across all competitions this season.
And the legend has taken his total tally with the club to 132 goals and 24 assists in 154 games since his move in 2023.
The star forward is also expected to return to international duty with Portugal next week despite his public spat with manager Jorge Jesus that led to a by his country’s football association.
