FIFA Arab Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo has returned from injury and is fit to play for Al Nassr. Cristiano Ronaldo, even at 41 years old, remains a central figure for both his club, Al Nassr, and the Portugal national team. Still drawing global attention, the key question now is when the legendary striker will take the field again. Cristiano Ronaldo’s next game with Al Nassr is scheduled for Wednesday, April 15, when they’ll be hosting Al Ettifaq for Matchday 29 of the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League at Al Awwal Park. The Portuguese extended his goal tally netting the opener in the last 2-0 win against Al Okhdood. Regarding the Portugal national team, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to return during the June international window. Before the World Cup gets underway, the Selecao will play two friendlies on home soil: the first against Chile on June 6 and the second against Nigeria on June 10. So far this season, the Portuguese icon has scored 25 goals and provided 4 assists in 28 games for Al Nassr, while netting 5 goals in 5 UEFA World Cup qualifiers for Portugal, with his personal account in 968 career goals. With the World Cup set for the USA, Canada, and Mexico at the end of the campaign, Ronaldo will be determined to arrive at what will likely be his final major tournament in top form. Cristiano Ronaldo of Al-Nassr FC scoring a bicycle kick. Ronaldo faced long break due to FIFA schedule After his stunning bicycle-kick goal against Al Khaleej, Cristiano Ronaldo was rested for Al Nassr’s midweek AFC Champions League Two match. But from that point forward, the Portuguese star endured a 24-day gap without competitive action, a result of the upcoming FIFA competition schedule. From December 1 through 18, Qatar hosted the second edition of the FIFA Arab Cup, with the final between Morocco and Jordan played at Lusail Stadium, the same venue as the 2022 World Cup final. With several Saudi Pro League players involved, including stars of the Saudi Arabian national team, clubs, including Al Nassr, were unable to meet domestic player requirements, forcing the SPL into a temporary pause during the tournament.

There’s some important admin up top about the upcoming Christmas episodes, a Patreon offer and news on our next show at the Southbank Centre! Musa and Ryan then chat about Mo Salah’s mixed zone comments that followed Liverpool’s 3-3 draw away at Leeds which look like starting the process of him potentially leaving the club (09:07) and is the latest situation in an already very difficult season. The Salah situation mean that there isn’t as much chat about the game itself, but there is also praise for Leeds (26:22), as well as Aston Villa’s late win over Arsenal at Villa Park and a quick round-up of some other Premier League games. There’s also time to shout out some other results from the weekend (36:07), including Hearts' win at Celtic, the MLS Cup, Arab Cup, the WSL, Serie A and La Liga, before some thoughts on the World Cup draw (42:14), which took place on Friday. Tickets for our second live show at the Southbank Centre in London are on sale here. For more podcasts, ad-free and in full, plus access to the Stadio Social Club and much more, you can become a Stadio member by signing up at patreon.com/stadio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.