Will Cristiano Ronaldo Play in Al Nassr vs Gamba Osaka AFC Champions League 2 Final Today?

Al Nassr face Japan’s Gamba Osaka in the 2025/26 AFC Champions League Two final at Al-Awwal Park on Saturday.

For Cristiano Ronaldo, it is more than just another match - it is a chance to end three years without silverware in Saudi Arabia and claim his first major club trophy since joining Al Nassr in 2023. At 41, the Portuguese superstar remains the heartbeat of the Riyadh club as they hunt their maiden continental title.

Al Nassr booked their place in the final with a ruthless 5-1 semi-final demolition of Qatar’s Al Ahli in April, where Ronaldo captained the side. The West Asian giants have been in imperious domestic form too, riding a long unbeaten run and sitting on 83 points in the Saudi Pro League after 33 games. A win tonight would also secure a play-off spot in next season’s elite AFC Champions League.

Ronaldo’s numbers this season underline his enduring brilliance. Across all competitions he has 28 goals and 5 assists in 34 appearances. In the ACL Two specifically, he has contributed 1 goal and 1 assist in three outings. In the Saudi Pro League alone he has netted 91 times in 104 games, a staggering rate that has already seen him become the first player to hit 100 league goals for four different clubs.

His recent form has been electric: he found the net against Al Shabab on 7 May and continues to edge closer to the magical 1,000-career-goal milestone.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo Play Today vs Gamba Osaka?

Yet question marks hover over his starting role. Manager Jorge Jesus is reportedly weighing rotation to manage key players’ minutes ahead of a congested schedule, and several squad members (including Brozovic and Coman) are already ruled out through injury. Reports two days ago suggested Ronaldo could begin on the bench.

Even so, few expect the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to miss a final of this magnitude. Ronaldo has history with Gamba Osaka — he scored in Manchester United’s 5-3 Club World Cup win over them in 2008. Tonight he will almost certainly feature, either from the start or as a game-changing substitute, ready to deliver the trophy that has eluded him in Saudi colours.