Cristiano Ronaldo‘s wait to make his 2026-27 debut is set to drag on a little longer. According to Saudi outlet Al Riyadiyah, the Al Nassr captain continued his individual rehabilitation program on Wednesday without taking part in group training, still working his way back from a pelvic muscle injury that he suffered last week.
Per the report, Ronaldo felt pain in the area during a group training session last week, but experienced no discomfort in Wednesday’s session, opting instead to stick to his rehabilitation routine alongside specific fitness work as part of his return-to-play plan.
The club’s medical staff is expected to evaluate him again during Thursday’s session, with his final availability for the upcoming match against Al Riyadh on Friday to be determined based on the results of those medical and physical tests.
The 41-year-old has already missed Al Nassr‘s first two competitive matches of the season, against Al Fateh in the Saudi Pro League and Al Diriyah in the King’s Cup, where his side picked up two wins to start the campaign on the right foot.
Why Ronaldo missed Al Nassr’s season debut
Ronaldo’s absence from Al Nassr’s opening fixtures actually does tie back to fitness, just not the pelvic injury that’s now in question. The forward spent the club’s entire preseason on vacation following the 2026 World Cup, a break during which he married long-time partner Georgina Rodríguez in Portugal, missing the team’s overseas training camp in Lisbon entirely.
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With no preseason work under his belt, Ange Postecoglou chose not to rush him into a squad that had trained together for weeks, resting him for Al Nassr’s first two games of the season. He rejoined training just two days before the Saudi Pro League opener, and now, his debut hinges on whether he’s cleared to face Al Riyadh on Saturday.
Ronaldo’s chase for 1,000 career goals continues this season
Beyond the immediate injury concerns, this season also carries historic weight for Ronaldo, who sits on 976 official career goals for club and country, just 24 short of becoming the first player in history to reach 1,000 official goals.
