Cristiano Ronaldo ready for elite Asian Champions League action before milestone birthday
Portuguese star’s high-scoring form in Saudi Pro League could help Al-Nassr – bolstered by a new striker – to their first continental title
Cristiano Ronaldo turns 40 on Wednesday but is showing few signs of slowing down as he prepares to lead Saudi club Al-Nassr against Al-Wasl in the Asian Football Confederation’s Champions League Elite.
The Portuguese star, who signed for the Riyadh club in December 2022, leads the Saudi Pro League scoring charts with 15 goals in 17 games.
If Ronaldo can reproduce that form in the continental tournament – there are two games remaining in the group stage, from which his team have already qualified – then Al-Nassr have a chance to become Asian champions for the first time.
“The best birthday gift for Ronaldo is to achieve victory against Al-Wasl,” Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli said ahead of the Monday meeting. “It is an important match for us and we want the three points.”
After winning the Uefa Champions League five times with Manchester United and Real Madrid, Ronaldo’s chances of winning a first Asian title have been bolstered with Al-Nassr’s signing of Jhon Duran from English Premier League club Aston Villa for a reported fee of around US$79 million last week.
According to reports in Saudi Arabia, Duran has already been registered in time to play against Al-Wasl, who sit eighth in the United Arab Emirates league.
