What Cristiano Ronaldo Did Instead of Playing in the AFC Champions League Match?

On Monday, Al Nassr faced Persepolis in an AFC Champions League group-stage match. After 90 minutes of play, neither team managed to score, resulting in a 0-0 draw.

Surprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo was not included in Al Nassr's squad for the game. The 40-year-old Portuguese star was given a rest and did not travel with the team to Tehran. However, his absence was not due to injury —t eam selection rules in the AFC Champions League allow only five foreign players per match, and head coach Luis Castro opted to rotate the squad.

Interestingly, while his team was battling Persepolis, Ronaldo was busy with another sporting event. FootyRoom noticed that his YouTube channel was streaming the final of a padel tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia, where he participated as a guest commentator.

This isn’t the first time Ronaldo has missed a Champions League game in Asia. Back in September 2024, he was absent from Al Nassr’s match against Al Shorta due to a viral infection, which disappointed many Iraqi fans.

The decision to leave Ronaldo out this time appears to be tactical, but fans couldn’t help but wonder — was he really just resting, or did he have other reasons to avoid the trip to Iran?

Published by Patrick Jane
17.02.2025