Sultan Al-Ghannam's Recovery Progress at Al-Nassr

Sultan Al-Ghannam is almost back. And at Al-Nassr, they know exactly what that means.

The Saudi international right-back has entered the final stretch of his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury, working under the close eye of the club doctor in Riyadh. After months of rehabilitation, he resumed training on 13 November, a key step that has shifted the mood around the club from concern to anticipation. Current medical projections have him fully ready to return to action in January.

For Al-Nassr, that date is already ringed in red.

This has been a long road. Al-Ghannam suffered the anterior cruciate ligament injury on 16 May in the final of the AFC Champions League 2 against Japan’s Gamba Osaka at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh. On a night meant to crown a continental campaign, the Japanese side edged a 1-0 win to take the trophy, while Al-Ghannam’s own ordeal began in the most painful way a professional knows.

He went down, received treatment, and still came back on to finish the match. The damage, though, was done.

Surgery followed in June at the renowned Aspetar centre in Doha, where Dr Khalid Al-Khalifi performed the operation on his ACL. Al-Ghannam then stayed in Qatar to complete the first and second phases of his rehab, rebuilding strength and stability step by step before returning to Saudi Arabia to finish the job.

Now he is back in Riyadh, working through that decisive final phase with Al-Nassr’s medical staff, sharpening his fitness and edging closer to the intensity required at the top level. Each session brings him nearer to a squad that has badly missed his blend of defensive reliability and attacking thrust down the right flank.

Inside the club, his return is seen as a major boost, not just another player ticking off days on a medical report. Since arriving from Al-Faisaly in the summer of 2018, Al-Ghannam has become one of the pillars of the side, a constant presence through title pushes, continental campaigns, and the club’s rapid rise in profile.

The hierarchy underlined his importance in October 2023, when they moved decisively to secure his future with a new contract running until 2028. That deal was a clear statement: Al-Nassr see him as a long-term cornerstone, not a short-term option.

Now, as January approaches, the picture is simple. Al-Nassr are waiting. The right flank that has missed his energy and experience is about to get its old heartbeat back.