Trézéguet's Hamstring Injury Worries Egypt and Al-Riyadh

Trézéguet’s return was supposed to steady Al-Riyadh after a bruising week. Instead, it has opened up a new round of worry for club and country.

A hamstring injury had already ruled the Egyptian winger out of Al-Riyadh’s last outing, a chastening 5-0 defeat to Al-Ahli in the fifth round of the Saudi Pro League. He was brought back into the side for today’s Gulf clash with Al-Khaleej, but the gamble did not last long.

He went down early, clutching the same area that had kept him out before. The sight alone was enough to silence the optimism around his comeback and raise immediate doubts about whether he had been ready to start at all.

Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiah reported that the familiar problem – the hamstring – forced his early exit against Al-Khaleej. The Egyptian international will now undergo medical examinations and X-rays in the coming hours to determine the exact nature of the injury, assess its severity and establish how long he will be out of training and competitive action.

The timing is brutal. Trézéguet had been expected to join Egypt’s upcoming camp for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with two matches scheduled against Angola and South Sudan on 25 and 29 September. His availability for those fixtures is now in serious doubt, a potential blow for a national team counting on his experience and end product.

This appearance was his sixth game for Al-Riyadh this season across the league and the King’s Cup. He has one goal in the Saudi league and two assists to his name so far – one in league play and one in the cup – underlining how quickly he had begun to influence Al-Riyadh’s attack.

On the night, at least, Al-Riyadh found something to cling to. The result pushed them up to 5 points and into twelfth place in the Saudi Roshn Pro League table, with Al-Khaleej moving to four points in thirteenth.

Next, Al-Riyadh travel to face Al-Khaloud on Sunday, carrying a little more confidence in the standings – and a lot more anxiety about the fitness of their key Egyptian winger.