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Cristiano Ronaldo has posted a snap of himself back in training ahead of Al-Nassr's clash with Al-Feiha in the Saudi Pro League on Friday (April 19).
The iconic forward's participation in that game is up in the air after he was sent off against Al-Hilal. The 39-year-old was given a straight red after throwing an elbow at Saudi Arabian Ali Al-Bulaihi in a 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss (April 8).
Al-Nassr are set to appeal the red card which was the first of Cristiano Ronaldo's spell at Al-Awwal Park since arriving in January 2023. He was enraged after seeing red, sarcastically applauding the referee on his way off the pitch.
Ronaldo has put the controversial defeat to Al-Hilal to one side to send a positive message to fans. He uploaded two pictures of himself in training with the caption:
"Back to work."
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in red-hot form this season, posting 36 goals and 12 assists in 37 games across competitions. He's the Saudi Pro League's top scorer with 29 goals in 25 games.
However, the mood is low around Al-Awwal after Al-Nassr's Saudi Super Cup elimination. It came against their title rivals Al-Hilal who lead them by 12 points in the title race with six games left.
Luis Castro defends Cristiano Ronaldo after the Al-Nassr captain's red card
Al-Nassr boss Luis Castro came to Cristiano Ronaldo's defense after his sending-off against the league leaders. The Portuguese coach argued that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was provoked (via Essentially Sports):
"It is difficult to talk about the incident in which Ronaldo received the red card, and we saw several clips earlier in the season in which Ronaldo was provoked, and after seeing some of the pictures, Ronaldo did not do anything that deserved to be sent off, and the opposing player acted."
Ronaldo served a one-match ban earlier this season when he was suspended for making an obscene gesture in a 3-2 win against Al-Shabab. He was also ordered to pay around $2,666 (10,000 riyals) to the South Asian Football Federation and an additional $5,333 (20,000 riyals) to Al-Shabab for complaint filing fees.
The Portugal captain has otherwise enjoyed 15 months of his time in Saudi. He joined Al-Nassr a free agent in January 2023 after leaving Manchester United two months earlier by mutually agreeing to terminate his contract.
Ronaldo has bagged 50 goals and 14 assists in 56 games across competitions. He's yet to captain Al-Alami to Saudi Pro League glory and isn't likely to do so this season.
