Birthday boy Cristiano Ronaldo takes to social media amid Saudi soccer storm

Cristiano Ronaldo, who celebrates his 41st birthday today, has posted a photo of himself in training with Al Nassr, prompting speculation that the veteran forward will end his self-imposed absence from Saudi Pro League action.

On Wednesday, Ronaldo took to social media to share an image in which he can be seen going though his paces, apparently in a practice session for Friday’s matchup with Al Ittihad.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner captioned the picture with two ‘heart emojis in blue and yellow, the colors of Al Nassr.

Why has Ronaldo been on an apparent strike?

Earlier this week, Ronaldo had not only been absent from Al Nassr training, but had also missed Monday’s 1-0 league win over Al Riyadh, amid apparent anger over Al Nassr’s transfer activity.

“His absence [against Al Riyadh] is not related to any physical issue nor to workload or fitness management,” the well-connected journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed ahead of the game.

The Portugal star is believed to be upset that Al Nassr’s owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), have sanctioned just two low-profile signings during the winter transfer window, at the same time as other PIF-backed teams have been allowed to make far more significant incursions into the market.

Most notably, Saudi title rivals Al Hilal completed no fewer than seven mid-season acquisitions - including that of Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema. In a blockbuster deadline-day move, Benzema left Al Ittihad, the league’s defending champions, to sign an 18-month deal with the Blue Waves.

CR7 chases landmark goal tally

With Ronaldo seemingly back in Al Nassr training, it now remains to be seen whether he will return to the team against Al Ittihad on Friday, as Jorge Jesus’s men bid to overhaul Al Hilal at the top of the table.

Chasing its first Saudi title since 2019, Al Nassr sits one point behind the leaders, having won its last five league games.

Two of those victories - against Al Kholood on Jan. 30, and against Damac on Jan. 21 - saw Ronaldo chip in with a goal, to take his 2025-26 league scoring tally to 17 in 18 games. Lying just one behind this season’s leading marksman in the SPL, Al Ahli’s Ivan Toney, Ronaldo is closing in on a historic, four-figure career goal haul.

How many career goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored?

The Portuguese’s most recent strike - a close-range tap-in from compatriot Joao Félix’s pass - was his 961st career goal for club and country.

Since making his senior-soccer debut in the 2002-03 season, Ronaldo has plundered a world-record total of 818 goals in men’s club soccer, across spells at Sporting CP, Manchester United (twice), Real Madrid, Juventus and Al Nassr. On the international stage, meanwhile, he has netted 143 times in 226 caps for Portugal - also a tally unparalleled in the men’s game.

Ronaldo has made it clear that he intends to reach 1,000 goals before ending a career that has spanned nearly a quarter of a century. “I will reach that number for sure, if no injuries,” the veteran said at the Globe Soccer Awards in December, adding: “You know what my goal is: I want to win more trophies and I want to reach the number that you will all know.”