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The Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who competes for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, may have a problem in the forthcoming AFC Champions League. Teams competing in the continental competition are only permitted to call up six international players, with one of those players coming from an Asian nation. This means that, with the exception of the Asian player, Al-Nassr will be limited to bringing five foreigners to each game.
Ronaldo is among the seven foreign players on Al-Nassr's roster including Seko Fofana, Anderson Talisca, Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles. As a result, Al-Nassr will be forced to exclude some of their international stars from every AFC Champions League game.
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Al-Nassr face a difficult struggle because all of its international players are essential to the team. Ronaldo, who transferred from Manchester United to Al-Nassr in January 2023, is among the most expensive and well-paid players in the Saudi Pro League. He has scored 14 goals and contributed three assists in 21 games across different competitions so far, helping Al-Nassr qualify for the AFC Champions League group stage following a thrilling playoff victory over Shabab Al-Ahli.
Ronaldo may have to give up some of his AFC Champions League playing time, though, as Al-Nassr may need to balance its roster and rotate its players. The draws for the highly sought-after league were made public on Thursday afternoon, and the Saudi team was placed in Group E with FC Istiklol, Persepolis, and Al Duhail.
There are reports from Diario AS that Al-Nassr coach Luís Castro has decided to leave out Anderson Talisca from the squad. The midfielder, who has been with the team since 2021, before Cristiano's arrival and a flurry of players from Europe, is well-regarded by both his colleagues and the fans. The squad has not been announced yet, but it will be interesting to see which foreign players make the cut.
Contrarily, Ronaldo has had a stellar career and has won the UEFA Champions League five times with Real Madrid and Manchester United. He would undoubtedly like to add another continental trophy to his collection.
