Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines over the weekend after scoring yet another astonishing goal, inching closer to the 1,000-goal milestone and fueling fans’ hopes of finally ending Al Nassr’s title drought. With the Portuguese star sidelined once again for another AFC Champions League Two match, head coach Jorge Jesus made the club’s season priorities clear to Ronaldo and the rest of the squad.
Al Nassr returned from the October international break in top form, securing a dominant 5–1 win over Al Fateh on Saturday. Behind a João Félix hat trick and goals from Ronaldo and Kingsley Coman, the Riyadh giants became the only team in the 2025–26 Saudi Pro League season to open with five straight wins, sitting alone at the top of the table.
In his post-match press conference, Jorge Jesus first praised the team’s performance before underlining the club’s main focus this season: “For me, the league is more important than the AFC Champions League. We have players at Al Nassr who’ve been here for 3 or 4 years without winning the league.”
Since Ronaldo’s arrival at Al Nassr in 2022, the club has consistently challenged for the title but fallen short in the final stretch of the last three seasons. The Portuguese coach doubled down on his priorities, adding: “If I had to choose between the Elite Cup and the league, I’d choose the league,” downplaying the regional competition in favor of domestic glory.
Ronaldo set to miss another AFC Champions League Two game
After failing to qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite this season, Al Nassr find themselves competing in the recently introduced second-tier tournament, the AFC Champions League Two. As a result, the club has shifted its focus toward what it considers its main objective: winning the Saudi Pro League.
The team traveled to India to face FC Goa on Wednesday for Matchday 3 of the Champions League Two. Al Nassr enter the match as heavy favorites after winning their first two group games, while the Indian side has lost both outings, conceding four goals and failing to find the net.
As the squad landed in India, Ronaldo’s absence quickly became the biggest talking point. As has been the trend in this competition, Jorge Jesus named all foreign players in the traveling squad except Ronaldo, who has been left out once again due to rest, and Marcelo Brozović, who will be sidelined after picking up an injury against Al Fateh.