Al-Nassr hopeful Ronaldo will return for Asian Champions League Two

[AP Photo]

Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to win a major trophy since arriving in Saudi Arabia, and Al-Nassr will be hoping the 41-year-old Portuguese star returns to action on Wednesday to help the Riyadh club move closer to silverware.

Al-Nassr takes on Arkadag of Turkmenistan with a place in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League Two on the line.

Ronaldo hasn’t played any part in Al-Nassr’s most recent two games in the Saudi Pro League amid reports he was unhappy with the way the club is being funded, particularly after watching rival Al-Hilal sign Karim Benzema in last month’s transfer window.

Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli are all majority owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

In a statement, the SPL outlined that no player is bigger than the club or the league.

“The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: every club operates independently under the same rules,” the league said. “Cristiano has been fully engaged with Al-Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club’s growth and ambition. But no individual — however significant — determines decisions beyond their own club.”

Despite the absence of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Al-Nassr beat reigning champion Al-Ittihad 2-0 on Friday.

Ittihad is the only one of three Saudi teams in the top-tier AFC Champions League Elite not to have secured a place in the round of 16, with two group games remaining.

Despite losing star striker Karim Benzema last week to Al-Hilal, which has a history of making high-profile signings, including Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, Ittihad will advance to the next round if it defeats Al-Gharafa of Qatar on Tuesday.

The top eight in each of the tournament’s two 12-team groups — divided geographically into East and West Asia — qualify for the second round.

Al-Hilal leads the western zone and is the only team with a perfect record of six wins from six, meaning coach Simone Inzaghi can choose to rest players. Al-Ahli, which won its first Champions League title in May, is also guaranteed a spot in the knockout stage.

In the eastern zone, only Vissel Kobe has clinched qualification, but Japan will have three teams in the round of 16 if both Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Machida Zelvia win this week.

The pressure is on China’s three representatives, which occupy the bottom three positions.

Chinese champion Shanghai Port is in last place and on the verge of being ousted from the tournament. Wins for Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Shenhua would keep both teams in contention. JOHN DUERDEN, MDT/AP