Cristiano Ronaldo returns to AFC Champions League - all you need to know about Asia's top competition
When Cristiano Ronaldo was goaded by Al Ahli Saudi fans about their back-to-back continental titles at the end of last season, he had a ready reply: “I have won five.” Yes, yes. His glorious career in Europe includes winning multiple Uefa Champions Leagues with Manchester United and Real Madrid. But he is still yet to win Asia’s version. Maybe this will be his year. The Portuguese superstar will…
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to return to the AFC Champions League Elite competition, which will be held in the UAE starting on Tuesday night. This top tier of Asian football features 32 clubs from the Western and Eastern regions, with eight games for each team in the league phase followed by a round-of-16 fixture and a centralized finals competition in Saudi Arabia in April.
The competition aims to provide Ronaldo, who has won multiple Uefa Champions Leagues but has yet to win Asia's version, with an opportunity to add another title to his impressive career. Al Ahli Saudi currently holds the title, having won it twice in a row, but the competition has seen more success from the East region, with 26 victories compared to the West's 18.
However, with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund pouring significant funds into football, the West has been victorious in the past three full seasons. Before Ronaldo's Al Nassr, the UAE's Al Ain won the competition, and they will face their rivals in the opening match of the tournament.
Written by urgent.news from The National Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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