Trezeguet Omission Shocks Al-Riyadh Fans Ahead of Al-Ahli Match

Al-Riyadh walked into Jeddah on Friday with a storm already brewing around them – and it had nothing to do with the opposition.

As the club released its starting line-up and bench for the Roshn League showdown with Al-Ahli at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium, one name was conspicuously missing. Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet", the marquee Egyptian winger and one of the faces of Al-Riyadh’s summer rebuild, was nowhere in sight.

No explanation. No hint. Just silence.

Within minutes, the club’s post on X was swamped. Supporters demanded answers, asking how their star signing could be left out of such a high-profile fixture, and why the club had offered no clarity. The tone was sharp. Confused. Some fans had just seen Trezeguet in training the previous day, pictured by the club going through the final preparations for the Al-Ahli match as if everything were normal.

So what happened in 24 hours?

Reporting from inside Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium, a correspondent for "Thmanyah", the broadcaster of the Saudi league, finally broke the suspense. The reason for Trezeguet’s absence was injury.

No tactical snub. No shock dropping. An injury had ruled out the Egyptian just as Al-Riyadh needed him most.

Trezeguet only joined Al-Riyadh in the current summer transfer window, arriving from Egypt’s Al-Ahly after a single season there. Signed to lift the team’s attacking threat and give the club a recognisable international star, he now finds himself sidelined at a moment when his new team is still trying to find its feet.

How quickly he recovers – and how soon he can truly start his Al-Riyadh story – may shape far more than just one night in Jeddah.