Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr dealt injury blow as key foreign star could miss SPL clash against Al-Ittihad: Reports

Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate Mohamed Simakan could miss Al-Nassr's upcoming Saudi Pro League game against Al-Ittihad, according to Sahifat Arriyadia (via Al Nassr Zone). The French defender reportedly had a checkup at the Riyadh-based club's clinic after sensing a pain in his leg.

It now appears that the injury could rule him out of the upcoming league game against Al-Ittihad at the Al-Awwal Park on Wednesday, May 7. Al-Nassr are currently third in the Saudi Pro League table after 29 games, eight points behind leaders Al-Ittihad.

This weekend's match could be a crucial fixture in the title race, with just five games left in the campaign. Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to win the league since arriving in the Middle East, and his chances of doing so this year now hang by a thread.

Simakan has been a key figure in the backline for the Riyadh-based club so far, so his absence could turn out to be a big blow. The 25-year-old moved to the Saudi Arabian club from RB Leipzig last summer, and has been a first-team regular so far. Simakan has registered 36 appearances across competitions this season for Al-Nassr, all but one of which have been starts, signifying his importance to the club.

When does Cristiano Ronaldo's contract with Al-Nassr expire?

Cristiano Ronaldo's contract with Al-Nassr expires at the end of this season. The Portuguese superstar has been indispensable for the Saudi side once again this campaign.

CR7 has registered 33 goals from 38 games across competitions this campaign. The 40-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down and is expected to sign a new deal with Al-Nassr.

Speaking to BoyleSports, as cited by GOAL, former Tottenham Hotspur defender Alan Hutton backed Ronaldo to play until he turns 45.

“Cristiano Ronaldo probably feels that he could play to 45, no problem. Where he's playing at this moment in time, it's not the highest level. I know there's some big names out there, the way he looks after himself day to day, there's no reason that he can't go and play for another few years," said Hutton.

He continued:

“He'll feel that he can, no problem. He'll feel that he can still score goals. So I feel that he would go on for as long as possible. And rightly so. If you feel good, why shouldn't you?”

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 934 goals from 1276 games in his career so far.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava