Ahead of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo likely to play in India: All you need to know about Al Nassr vs FC Goa

Cristiano Ronaldo may play in India. Al Nassr have been placed in Group D of the AFC Champions League Two. India’s FC Goa, Iraq’s Alzawra’a and Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol are also there. If he remains fit, the 40-year-old will play his first professional match against an Indian club.

Al Nassr and FC Goa will meet twice in the group stage. There is a slim chance that Ronaldo may play in India. Due to a reported clause in his contract, travel for certain away games is restricted for him. Anyway, he is confirmed to appear in the home fixture against FC Goa in Riyadh.

For FC Goa, this marks one of the most high-profile matches since their founding in 2014. They qualified by defeating Oman’s Al Seeb 2-1, with goals from Dejan Drazic and Javier Siverio.

Al Nassr will face FC Goa in the AFC Champions League 2 group stage. The match in India could happen on any of these dates:

September 16–17, September 30 or October 1, October 21–22, November 4–5, November 25–26 and December 23–24.

This means Ronaldo could visit India as early as September or as late as Christmas Eve in December.

Meanwhile, Mohun Bagan Super Giant are in Group C with Iran’s Sepahan SC, Jordan’s Al Hussein and Turkmenistan’s Ahal FC. The legendary football club from West Bengal earned their spot by winning the 2024/25 ISL Shield.

Cristiano Ronaldo is now engaged to his long-time partner Georgina Rodríguez. The 31-year-old shared the news on Instagram with a photo of her wearing a large ring.

The couple, together since meeting in 2016 at a Gucci store in Madrid, have two daughters. She also helps raise Ronaldo’s other three children.

Lionel Messi in India

Lionel Messi played in India on September 2, 2011, when Argentina faced Venezuela in a friendly at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. Over 70,000 fans watched Argentina win 1-0, with Nicolas Otamendi scoring in the 67th minute.

In 2025, Messi will return after 14 years, with Kerala set to host two Argentina matches in Kochi. Opponents and exact dates are yet to be announced. Plans also include a fan tour in December 2025, covering Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}