Cristiano Ronaldo made an early exit from international duty after his suspension and has returned to Al Nassr. Meanwhile, the Riyadh outfit welcomed back another star, who had been forced to sit out after suffering a serious injury in January. Earlier this year, a significant injury sidelined the $3.22 million rated goalkeeper of Al Nassr for seven months.

The 35-year-old, however, was pictured at a practice session on Saturday, hinting at his possible return. Al Alami’s chances of clinching the title this season will likely be bolstered with the return of their veteran keeper.

Al Nassr gets a boost as player set to return from injury

On 14 January 2023, David Ospina, the goalkeeper of Al Nassr sustained a serious fracture on his right elbow during a goalless draw against Al Shabab. The former Napoli man was initially slated to be out for six weeks, which saw him miss 13 games. The keeper then underwent surgery in Spain for the initial stage of the recovery process and has been out for close to 250 days, having missed 27 games.

Ospina also missed his national call-up for the South American Qualifiers for the World Cup. The Colombian coach, Nestor Lorenzo, replaced the former Nice goalkeeper with Camilo Vargas and Álvaro Montero.

Several months after the injury, however, soccer enthusiasts and officials were ecstatic to see Ospina return for practice, training alongside the goalkeeper coach of Al Nassr.

Ospina made his name in Europe with Nice, Arsenal, and Napoli, before moving to the Gulf. Bolstering the side’s defense, he conceded a league-low six goals last season, with only Al Shabab’s Kim Seung-gyu beating his clean sheet record.

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Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo could provide early services for the Knights of Najd as he returned to Riyadh due to his one-game suspension.

Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Al Nassr after a blip during international duty

The former Los Blancos star was handed a suspension after receiving a yellow card in Portugal’s 1-0 triumph against Slovakia on Friday. The referee booked the Portugal captain after he caught Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dubravka with a stray foot in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier. Following this instance, CR7 was slated to miss Portugal’s next scheduled match against Luxembourg on Monday.

Ronaldo moved back to Al Nassr after this suspension. Additionally, the 5x Ballon d’Or winner was anticipated to take charge for Al Alami against Al Raed in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday as he arrived ahead of schedule for the Riyadh-based club. Ronnie already netted 14 goals in 19 appearances and fans were eagerly expecting to witness such an impressive stint in the quest of Saudi Pro League this season.

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When would you think David Ospina would start for Al Nassr in this season? Comment below and let us know.