Cristiano Ronaldo confirms he’s 'back in action' after recovering from calf injury
Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo is back from a short injury layoff, as confirmed by the superstar on Instagram.
The 39-year-old had a calf issue, which forced the postponement of Al-Alami's two friendlies in China last month. Ronaldo also didn't recover enough to appear in the blockbuster friendly with Lionel Messi's Inter Miami in Riyadh on February 1.
However, Luis Castro's side beat Miami 6-0 despite Ronaldo playing no part in the contest. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, though, was in the stands, cheering his teammates as they wreaked havoc against the MLS visitors.
Al-Alami were three goals to the good inside 12 minutes, and the game was over as a contest. Three more goals followed after the break, including two from Talisca - who completed his hat-trick - as the Saudi Pro League giants registered a landslide win despite Messi coming on for the final few minutes.
Ronaldo has now announced that he's raring to go, having recovered from his injury issue.
"Back in action," posted the Portugal captain on Instagram.
The 39-year-old is in sparkling form this season, bagging 24 goals and 11 assists in 25 games across competitions.
That includes league-leading tallies of 20 goals and nine assists in the Saudi Pro League, where Luis Castro's side trail runaway leaders Al-Hilal (53) by seven points after 19 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr could play Real Madrid at new Santiago Bernabeu
As per Marca, Cristiano Ronaldo could return to Real Madrid, albeit for a friendly, for the inauguration of the new Santiago Bernabeu.
Ronaldo is a bonafide Los Blancos legend, scoring a staggering 450 goals in 438 games across competitions in nine seasons, winning a plethora of big titles and individual honours.
Since leaving Madrid in the summer of 2018, Ronaldo has played for Juventus, Manchester United and now Al-Nassr. As per Arab journalist Saud Al-Sarami (via Marca), the Portuguese and his current team have been invited by Los Blancos for the inauguration of the new Santiago Bernabeu.
It's pertinent to note that there's no date announced by Madrid for the inauguration of their new stadium, which is expected between the end of the ongoing season and early 2025.