Cristiano Ronaldo has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury, as confirmed by his club, Al Nassr, in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday.
The Portugal forward exited the game in the 81st minute during Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Al Fayha. Al Nassr did not specify the duration of his recovery process.
“He has begun a rehabilitation program and will be evaluated daily,” stated the team.
Ronaldo, aged 41, was seen with an ice pack on his right hamstring shortly after being substituted.
Al Nassr’s coach, Jorge Jesus, attempted to alleviate concerns regarding the severity of the injury after the match.
“He experienced muscular fatigue,” said Jesus. “Once we scored to make it 2-1, I didn’t want to take any chances, so I substituted him. The medical team will evaluate his condition, but it appears to be just muscle fatigue.”
Despite a challenging match where he missed a penalty and couldn’t find the net, Al Nassr secured the win, putting them two points ahead of Al Ahli and reclaiming the top spot in the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo will have additional recovery time, as Al Nassr announced that their Asian Champions League Two quarterfinal matchup against Al Wasl, originally set for March 4, has been postponed indefinitely due to ongoing military conflicts in the area.
The team’s next fixture is on Saturday against Neom in the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo is currently third in the Saudi Pro League’s top scorers list, with 21 goals. English forward Ivan Toney leads the standings with 23 goals from 23 matches for Al Ahli.
This report includes information from ESPN’s Adriana Garcia.