Riyadh : Portugal football icon Cristiano Ronaldo continued his quest for 1,000 professional goals, netting his 981st goal across club and international games during Al Nassr's 3-1 win over Neftchi in their Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite game on Monday.
Cristiano Ronaldo's heroics continue as the controversy over his future with the national side continues after he left the national camp during the UEFA Nations League, with his rift with head coach Jorge Jesus intensifying. He has been handed a provisional suspension by the country's football federation after his controversial exit from the national camp during the UEFA Nations League, with disciplinary proceedings opened against the 41-year-old.
Angelo Gabriel opened Al Nassr's account with a goal in the 33rd minute, followed by Ronaldo finding the back of the net nine minutes later.
In the 51st minute, Alisher Odilov delivered a goal for Neftchi, but an own goal from Anvarjon Gofurov in the 78th minute handed Al Nassr some free cushion, and the scoreline was undisturbed for the remainder of the time.
Following the win, Ronaldo posted on his Instagram with the caption, "Important win tonight. We keep building."
The Portuguese Football Federation's disciplinary council suspended the Al Nassr star on a non-automatic basis, with the case classified as "urgent". This is the first sanction against him pending the end of the investigation and final penalty, as per Goal.com.
The Portuguese football governing body said in an official statement, as reported by newspaper 'A Bola', that the decision followed a deliberation issued by the non-professional section on Friday. Ronaldo was already subject to automatic suspension on a provisional basis till the proceedings opened. The council added a precautionary provisional suspension that was not applied automatically, while granting the case an urgent status. The case has been referred to the federation's disciplinary investigation committee. The details will stay confidential till the investigation ends.
The Portuguese striker left the national camp 24 hours before their match against Denmark, after he was benched in the previous game against Norway.
Ahead of the match, Ronaldo was instructed to warm up with expectations of featuring in the later half of the contest. However, Jesus eventually decided against bringing him onto the pitch, leaving the striker frustrated on the bench. While Jesus claimed that Ronaldo was benched due to tactical reasons, it only added to the growing rift between the once-close coach-player pair. Following a breakdown in communication with Jesus over his role in the current squad, Ronaldo left the national team camp early.
As per the Portuguese football governing body's disciplinary regulations, Ronaldo is at risk of a suspension ranging from one to six months, coupled with a fine, if his departure from the camp is found to be unjustified.
The regulations stipulate that "Any player who, after being lawfully called up, leaves without justification or does not attend a training session, a match, or any national team activity, or anything connected to the sporting representation of the Portuguese Football Federation or Portugal, shall be punished with a suspension ranging between one month and six months, and in addition, if the player is a professional, with a fine ranging between 5 and 10 accounting units."
For Ronaldo, the potential fine range is between 500 and 1,000 euros.