Celebrating turning 39! Inside Cristiano Ronaldo's winter break

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday this week with a selection of lavishly-decorated cakes.

The Instagram picture of him sunbathing after training he later posted suggesting he didn't touch a single crumb.

The fitness-obsessed Portuguese star remains as ripped as ever but even he isn't invulnerable when it comes to injury.

The Saudi Pro League's six-week winter break - which takes in the Asian Cup - has allowed Ronaldo time to recover from a calf issue and he'll hope to return to action soon.

Al-Nassr's last competitive game was the 4-1 win over Al-Taawoun on December 30, a result that kept them on the coattails of leaders Al-Hilal.

They pick up their AFC Champions League campaign against fellow Saudi club Al-Fayha on February 14 and resume league action against Al-Fateh three days later.

But Ronaldo's winter break has naturally been quite busy with a family holiday in Dubai, the receipt of yet more awards and a visit to China where he wasn't able to play.

The injury left him cheering from the stands as Al-Nassr crushed Lionel Messi's Inter Miami 6-0 last week.

His Argentine rival only made a late cameo off the bench but no doubt Ronaldo would have dearly loved to have help rub his nose in it in an utterly one-sided contest.

Ronaldo did travel to China, where he gave a press conference and waved at adoring fans holding No 7 jerseys from a bus window in Shenzhen, but he didn't take the field.

Al-Nassr were due to play Shanghai Shenhua on January 24 and Zhejiang four days later around a winter training camp in Shenzhen but Ronaldo's injury saw both fixtures postponed.

'I'm really sad because Al-Nassr and myself have come to China to enjoy the tour. We have not cancelled the game, we want to push for the game and be back here,' Ronaldo said.

Pushing the games back was probably a wise decision by Al-Nassr in light of the fury in Hong Kong that Messi remained on the bench in a much-hyped Inter Miami friendly there this week.

After the supposedly unfit Messi came off the bench to play the next game in Japan, fans and media in Hong Kong cried foul.

On January 20, Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez were in Dubai as he added yet more personal accolade to his enormous collection.

He won the award for Best Middle East Player, the Fans' Favourite Player of the Year and the Maradona Award for Top Goalscorer at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards.

Ronaldo joked he had '10 years left' when asked on stage if he planned to retire anytime soon and left Erling Haaland - who won the main player award - looking unimpressed when he spoke about his top scorer award.

The 39-year-old has continued to score goals at a prodigious rate, with 30 in 31 outings for Al-Nassr this season. He also netted 10 for Portugal in the calendar year of 2023 as he looks forward to Euro 2024.

The winter break has also allowed Ronaldo the chance to relax and spend time with family.

His birthday was celebrated with Georgina and four of his five children, while the whole family enjoyed a beach break in Dubai at the start of the month.

Temperatures are pleasantly in the mid-20s in Dubai at the start of the year and from the couple's Instagram pictures, the skies were blue and the sea was certainly warm enough.

It came after they celebrated the New Year back in Ronaldo's birthplace of Madeira, taking in a spectacular fireworks display.

Ronaldo's sister Katia captured the moment their mother Dolores Aveiro shed tears of joy after the star gifted her a new Porsche Cayenne - which retails from £70,400 - for her 69th birthday.

But soon Ronaldo will begin his mission to exceed the 54 goals he scored during 2023. There's always more to achieve.