- Reports claimed Ronaldo left Saudi Arabia on private jet.
- Media later say he remains in Riyadh.
- Al Nassr shares training photos showing Ronaldo present.
- Saudi Pro League match against Neom scheduled Saturday.
Report that Cristiano Ronaldo had left Saudi Arabia following increasing tensions in the region were rebuffed on Monday after his sources confirmed that the Portuguese star was still in the country with his club Al Nassr posting photos of his player training in Riyadh. There were speculations when several media houses such as The Sun, Daily Mail and Goal reported that Ronaldo had left Riyadh on the evening of Monday, December 10, on a personal flight to Madrid.
The airplane, which was said to be worth approximately 81 million dollars, was monitored flying to Spain, and there were speculations that the forward, along with his family, had fled Saudi Arabia as geopolitical friction increased in the region. These reports followed closely on the news of the drone attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and the security anxiety in the region of the Middle East.
But later the press association stated that Ronaldo still continued to stay in Saudi Arabia. Even the player that had continued moving to Europe was confirmed by local sources cited by Al Riyadiyah that the player had not left the country. Although the flight tracking records indicated that the jet landed in Madrid, it has not been officially confirmed that Ronaldo and his family boarded the plane.
Club Posts Training Photos
In the run-up to the speculation, Al Nassr seemed to put the rumours to bed expressing pictures of Ronaldo training in Riyadh. On its various social media profiles, the Saudi Pro League club uploaded several images of the 41-year-old forward taking part in evening workouts. More of the posts of the past night also indicated Ronaldo training in the workout room.
The rumours were quite heavier pointing to the fact that the five-time Ballon d'Or-winning star is still in the capital getting ready to play upcoming domestic games. The Al Nassr are on the top in the Saudi Pro League positions and they will play with Neom in Riyadh tomorrow, Saturday. According to league officials, the matches that should be played between Thursday and Saturday should go on regardless of the security concerns in the region.
On the continental level, however, upheavals have taken place. Asian football confederation recently cancelled some matches in the region including the AFC champions league quarter final match of Al Nassr, slated to be played in Dubai against Al Wasl.
Injury Current of Future Match
It is still unclear whether Ronaldo will be available to feature in the upcoming match on the weekend after getting a minor injury during the last league match played by Al Nassr against Al Fayha. In the process the Portuguese striker missed a penalty and later left the field with an injury issue.
Nevertheless, Al Nassr made a comeback to win the game in order to continue taking the lead in the league table. According to sources in the club, the injury is not regarded to be severe, although there is increased speculation that Ronaldo might be sidelined as a precautionary measure during the next game. However, the forward has not lost his place in the title race and he still hasn't lost his position in the Golden Boot of the league. Ronaldo is also close to a record of achieving a 1,000-goal record; that is, in his career.
In the meantime, the situation seems to have been sorted out by Al Nassr, even though prophecies of a private jet flight spread widely, Ronaldo still stayed in Riyadh and the team is training as the Saudi Pro League season goes on.
