Trezeguet's 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 wasn’t about tactics or form. It was about one name missing from the team sheet.

Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet", the club’s headline summer signing, was nowhere to be seen in the squad to face Al-Ahli in the fifth round of the Saudi Roshn League at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium.

The surprise came the moment Al-Riyadh’s official account on X posted the starting XI and substitutes. No Trezeguet. Not even on the bench.

The reaction was instant. Supporters flooded the replies, demanding answers and questioning how their Egyptian star could simply vanish from the matchday list without explanation. Anger mixed with confusion. This wasn’t what they had been led to expect.

Only 24 hours earlier, the club had shared images from the final training session before the trip to Al-Ahli. Trezeguet featured in those photos, taking part as normal, looking ready for action. Nothing hinted at a problem.

The silence from the club only added to the tension. Then, from inside the stadium, came clarity.

Reporting from Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium, the correspondent for "Thmanyah" – the broadcaster of the Saudi league – confirmed that Trezeguet’s absence was due to injury. No drama, no disciplinary issue. Just an untimely physical setback.

It still felt like a heavy blow. Trezeguet only joined Al-Riyadh in the current summer transfer window, arriving from Egypt’s Al-Ahly after a single season there, and was expected to be a central figure in their Roshn League campaign.

Instead of leading the line in one of the club’s marquee fixtures, he watched this one from the sidelines, leaving Al-Riyadh fans to wonder how long they will have to wait before their new star truly takes off.