Lead:
Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, announced his retirement from international competition on Thursday, ending a 23-year career with the Portuguese national team. The decision came after a period of tension with coach Jorge Jesus and follows weeks of debate over his continued participation at the highest level.
Top Stories:
Saudi Arabia national team cancels December training camp — The Saudi Football Federation cancelled a scheduled preparatory camp in Al Khobar set for December 21, 2026 through January 3, 2027, following the Asian Football Confederation's rescheduling of the AFC Asian Cup from January to December 2027. Two planned friendly matches against Qatar and Jordan were also cancelled.Ollie Watkins delivers exceptional scoring form at Al Hilal — The English forward has recorded eight goals and five assists in eleven appearances for Al Hilal, significantly outpacing his best Premier League season output. In 2023-24 at Aston Villa, Watkins produced 27 goals and 13 assists across 53 matches, compared to his current rate of 13 goal contributions in just eleven games.Trabzonspor loses to Freiburg in Europa Conference League — Turkish club Trabzonspor suffered their first defeat of the season in the Europa Conference League, falling 1-0 to German side Freiburg on Thursday. Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah featured for Trabzonspor and received a match rating of 7.7 out of 10 despite squandering a clear scoring opportunity in the 61st minute.Sadio Mane granted leave from Senegal squad — Senegal coach Patrick Vieira confirmed that Al Nassr forward Sadio Mane requested and received permission to remain with his family during the squad's gathering for African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sudan. Mane, absent from two consecutive camp sessions, cited personal reasons related to awaiting the birth of a child.Saudi Arabia reaches Gulf Cup veterans final — The Saudi Arabia veterans' team advanced to the final of the Gulf Cup for Former Players 2026 after defeating Bahrain 5-4 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw. Saudi Arabia will face Iraq in the final on Thursday at Saud bin Abdulrahman Stadium in Doha.Jeddah Corniche Circuit ranks fastest street circuit globally — Jeddah's Formula 1 venue holds the record as the world's fastest street circuit with an average speed of 252.8 kilometres per hour and a top expected speed of 322 kilometres per hour. The 6.174-kilometre track features 27 turns, 2,000+ lighting units, and hosts night races along the Red Sea coast.What to Watch:
Saudi Arabia's first division resumes Friday and Saturday with six Round 11 matches, including Al Zulfi hosting Jeddah and Al Adalah facing Al Uruba. The Portuguese Football Federation is preparing a special tribute ceremony to honour Ronaldo's international career following his retirement announcement.