Goa was ready. India was ready. But Cristiano Ronaldo, perhaps, is not.
The sight of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner walking out at Fatorda was supposed to be the biggest moment in Indian football history: a global superstar gracing an Indian pitch in a competitive fixture.
But that dream now appears to be slipping away, with multiple Saudi and Indian media reports suggesting that Ronaldo will not be travelling with Al Nassr for their AFC Champions League Two clash against FC Goa on October 22.
Al Nassr are scheduled to arrive in Goa on Monday night, but according to Saudi outlet Al Riyadhiah, Ronaldo has opted out of the trip despite repeated requests from FC Goa’s management.
The 40-year-old forward is understood to be managing his workload carefully as he eyes one final dance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This isn’t the first time Ronaldo has skipped an away game in the continental tournament. The Al Nassr captain sat out fixtures against Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol and Iraq’s Al Zawraa SC, both of which his side comfortably won without him.
His absence, sources say, is tied to a special clause in his two-year contract extension signed earlier this year, allowing him to choose which away games to skip, particularly those with complex travel or security logistics.
The clause reportedly stems from the chaos surrounding his trip to Iran during the 2023–24 AFC Champions League, when his presence caused widespread fan frenzy and unprecedented crowd-control challenges.
Since then, Al Nassr and Ronaldo’s management have agreed that he would only travel for away matches deemed crucial to the club’s progression.
Currently topping Group D with two wins in two games, Al Nassr don’t exactly need Ronaldo for their meeting with FC Goa, who sit bottom after back-to-back defeats.
That makes it even more likely that the Portuguese legend will give this one a miss — much to the heartbreak of thousands of Indian fans who had been dreaming of witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
For now, Al Nassr’s focus will remain on maintaining their unbeaten run in Asia before facing rivals Al Ittihad in the King’s Cup on October 28.
Goa, meanwhile, will carry the burden of playing hosts to a global event that suddenly feels smaller without its biggest star.