Cristiano Ronaldo has now missed Al-Nassr training for a 32nd consecutive day. The Portugal captain has been away since his World Cup ended in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Saudi newspaper "Arriyadiyah" report that Al-Nassr return to training in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, today, Friday, for the first time since coming back from their training camp in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.
Ronaldo, though, will stay away from the capital club's sessions, with the leave he was granted at the end of the 2026 World Cup extended.
"The Don" bowed out of the tournament on 6 July, when Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the round of 16. His break has now stretched beyond a month.
Everyone expected the Portuguese star back once the legal grace period, 21 days from leaving the World Cup, had elapsed. It never happened. He did not even join the training camp that wrapped up on Wednesday.
Back in Riyadh, Ronaldo remains absent. He has skipped every session across the three cities that hosted the camp, in the Saudi capital, in Abha and in Lisbon.
All of this lands just a week before the new season kicks off. Al-Nassr face Al-Fateh on 15 August in the first round of the Saudi Roshn League.
Ronaldo's Al-Nassr want to retain the Saudi league title they lifted last season after a seven-year wait. They are also chasing a first ever AFC Champions League Elite crown.