Why Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo didn't play for Al-Nassr in pre-season friendly

Cristiano Ronaldo watched from the stands as his Al-Nassr side beat SC Farense 5-1 in Faro, Portugal on Friday night.

The former Manchester United forward joined new signing Marcelo Brozovic in the stadium as he continues an individual training programme that was agreed upon by the club.

Ronaldo rejoined his Al-Nassr teammates earlier this week, linking up with the squad for their pre-season training camp in Portugal. Luis Castro's side have been in their star's homeland since the start if July.

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However Ronaldo is slightly behind his teammates in terms of preparations, with the 38-year-old having captained his nation in Euro 2024 qualifying victories over Bosnia & Herzegovina and Iceland. The latter of those games was on June 20, meaning it has been a little over three weeks since last season ended for him.

Al-Nassr manager Castro will want to ease his veteran forward into pre-season ahead of what will be his first full campaign in Saudi Arabia, having joined in January after being released by United in November. The striker scored 14 goals in 19 appearances during his first few months in the Middle East.

Al-Nassr play Celta Vigo on July 17 before ending their Portugal tour against Benfica on July 20. Ronaldo's availability for both remains uncertain, with the priority being his fitness for meetings with Paris Saint-German and Inter Milan in Japan.