Jorge Jesus calm, ex-Benfica man on Al Nassr star's absence: choices | OneFootball

Al Nassr will play another round of the Asian Champions League this Wednesday, October 22, and among the players called up by Jorge Jesus, the main highlight was the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. When questioned about the matter, the former Benfica coach explained that the national team captain will miss the match due to physical management.

The Portuguese coach revealed that, together with the club’s management, they decided that the national team captain will be rested for the matches that Al Nassr will play outside Saudi Arabia. The same situation had already happened in Iraq, when the Saudis faced Al Zawraa.

Now in India, where they will face Goa FC, the former Benfica manager explained the reasons for leaving the national team’s top scorer out: “Everyone loves Cristiano Ronaldo and he has many fans. We decided he would rest when we play outside Saudi Arabia.”

However, Jorge Jesus acknowledged that the Al Nassr captain is a name that draws crowds, but emphasized the importance of carefully managing the 40-year-old striker’s condition: “Everyone wants to see him, but we have to make choices and we chose to leave him in Riyadh to prepare for the next game.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.