Cristiano Ronaldo will play no part in Portugal’s March international programme after the hamstring injury he suffered while on duty for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League kept him out of Roberto Martínez’s squad for the friendly fixtures against Mexico and the United States. The 41-year-old limped off the pitch on February 28 as his Al-Nassr side beat Al-Fayha 3-1, and the Saudi club confirmed he required a recovery period that has now stretched into the current FIFA window.
Portugal’s head coach Roberto Martínez announced his squad last Friday without Ronaldo’s name — a notable absence for a player who holds the all-time record for goals in men’s international football, having scored 143 times across his international career. Portugal faced Mexico at the Estadio Banorte in Mexico City on March 28, before travelling to Atlanta to face the United States on April 1. Both matches serve as meaningful preparation ahead of the World Cup, which kicks off in North America in June.
Saudi Pro League Well Represented in Martínez’s Squad
Despite Ronaldo’s absence, the Saudi Pro League remains clearly visible in the Portugal squad that Martínez has assembled. Rúben Neves, the Al-Hilal midfielder who made the switch to Saudi Arabia in 2023, is included in the group and has continued to demonstrate that the league’s best performers can maintain the level required to represent their national teams at the highest level. João Félix, who joined Al-Nassr this season alongside Ronaldo, is also named in the attacking positions, carrying the Saudi club’s fortunes into the international arena with him.
Their presence in Portugal’s squad reinforces a point that has become something of an editorial consensus in world football: the Saudi Pro League, often questioned in its early marquee-signing years, now supplies players who are operating at an international level consistently enough to feature in one of Europe’s most competitive national team programmes.
Recovery and the World Cup Timeline
With the World Cup beginning in June, the timeline of Ronaldo’s recovery from the Al-Nassr hamstring injury is being closely monitored by the Saudi club, the Portuguese federation, and the player’s medical team. Hamstring injuries at the level of severity described typically carry a recovery period of four to eight weeks, meaning Ronaldo should be available when the Saudi Pro League season resumes following the international break, and well in time to declare his fitness for Portugal’s opening World Cup preparations ahead of the tournament.
Al-Nassr’s remaining Saudi Pro League fixtures will clarify his return timeline further. For now, the international spotlight falls on those representing the league in Martínez’s squad, maintaining the profile of Saudi club football on the world stage during Ronaldo’s absence.
