Close to Breaking Saudi League Record, Cristiano Ronaldo Could Miss Al Nassr’s Next Game vs Al Riyadh- Reports

2 Matchdays remaining until the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League campaign concludes. Even though Al Hilal has been crowned the domestic champions, Al Nassr will look to curtain their season without any hiccups. Up next, the Knights of the Najd face fellow city rivals Al Riyadh. Just days before the match, concern remains regarding the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is in contention to break a record. 

According to the latest reports from @TheNassrZone on X, Luis Castro is thinking of resting the star players for Thursday’s clash. The potential decision stems due to the final league game against arch-rivals, Al Ittihad, which is scheduled for next week on May 27. Hence, aside from Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Otavio, and Alex Telles are a few of the names that can be given a rest in the derby fixture. 

With Al Riyadh sitting in 13th place with 31 points in hand, Castro doesn’t consider the upcoming match quite important. On the other hand, getting a decent score against Al Ittihad, who are sitting in 5th place with 51 points, would help Ronaldo and Co. maintain their dominance. Notably, the last time Al Nassr faced either side, they managed to scrape up a win with decent margins. 

Aside from clinching an easy 4-1 against Al Riyadh, Castro and Co. thrashed Karim Benzema’s side 5-2 back in December. Certainly, resting star players will give the bench a chance against Al Riyadh to prove themselves. Additionally, Al Nassr’s previous 1-1 draw against Al Hilal must have left a few players in fatigue. 

Yet, it would be quite appreciative of Castro to give Ronaldo at least a final game, as it will give him a window of opportunity to smash a remarkable record.

Cristiano Ronaldo is in line to break a significant record with Al Nassr

In a recent 3-2 victory over Al Okhdood, Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 33rd league goal of the season. While he is definitely ending the season as the Roshn Saudi League’s top scorer, he is also in contention to break a significant record. The Portuguese captain is just a goal shy of breaking the all-time league record of the highest goals in a season set by Abderrazak Hamdallah. 

During the 2018-2019 season, his tally stood at 34 goals. If Ronaldo potentially misses the Al Riyadh game, he would have to score a goal to equalize or more than that in the final matchday against Al Ittihad to take over Hamdallah’s feat. Certainly, Ronaldo would be focused on etching his name for yet another record while simultaneously clinching the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot.