Cristiano Ronaldo Diagnosed with Viral Infection

Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has been diagnosed with a viral infection, ruling him out of Al Nassr’s Asian Champions League opener this week against Al Shorta in Iraq.

The Saudi club confirmed the news on Sunday in a statement via their X (formerly Twitter) account.

“Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t feeling well today and has been diagnosed with a viral infection,” the statement read. “The team’s doctor advised that he rest and remain at home. As a result, he will not be travelling with the team to Iraq. We wish a speedy recovery to our captain.”

Ronaldo, who had his first run at the Asian Champions League with Al Nassr cut short earlier this year after a quarter-final penalty shootout loss to Al Ain, is aiming to add Asia’s top club title to his illustrious career achievements.

Al Nassr and other Saudi Arabian clubs have bolstered their squads with high-profile signings in recent years, including Neymar, Sadio Mane, and Ruben Neves. Ronaldo’s absence on Monday is a blow to Al Nassr, but they still have stars like Mane, Aymeric Laporte, and Marcelo Brozovic to lead the charge.

The competition, now known as the Asian Champions League Elite, has adopted a new format that splits 24 teams into two groups: East and West. Each team will face eight different opponents in the group stage, with the top eight teams from each zone advancing to the last 16, scheduled for March. From the quarter-finals onwards, a mini-tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia between April 25 and May 4 to crown the champions, who will earn a prize of at least $12 million.

Despite Ronaldo’s absence, Al Nassr will aim to challenge reigning champions Al Ain, who secured the title under the guidance of Argentine legend Hernan Crespo. Al Ain, representing the United Arab Emirates, defeated Japan’s Yokohama F-Marinos in last year’s final.

In addition to Al Nassr, Saudi clubs Al Hilal and Al Ahli will also compete in this year’s edition. Al Hilal, aiming for a record-extending fifth Asian title, recently strengthened their squad with the signing of Portugal’s Joao Cancelo from Manchester City. They join a roster already stacked with stars like Aleksandar Mitrovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Neymar, who is expected to return from injury soon.

With teams from Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan, Iraq, and the UAE rounding out the West zone, this year’s tournament promises to be one of the most competitive in recent history, even as Ronaldo takes time to recover.
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