Al Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo will maintain his stance and boycott a second-straight league game after not receiving a concrete guarantee that the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) will make changes regarding the Saudi Pro League club’s management, sources have told ESPN.
Sources have told ESPN that if no changes are guaranteed in the coming weeks, Ronaldo will ask to leave in June.
The Portugal forward refused to play for his club in Monday’s 1-0 league win over Al Riyadh in protest, sources said, arguing that PIF is not investing enough in Al Nassr and instead giving an advantage to rival Al Hilal. Sources told ESPN that Ronaldo tried to block the transfer of French star Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad to Al Hilal on Monday because he felt the move was unfair and indicated that PIF wanted to pave the way for Al Hilal to win the title.
Ronaldo, who has trained with his team this week, posted a picture of himself to his social media on Wednesday. In it, he is wearing the club training uniform. But on Al Nassr’s official X account, the posts on Wednesday featured only pictures of coach Jorge Jesus and Ronaldo’s teammates training. He has made clear behind the scenes that his return to action depends on the prompt reactivation of Al Nassr’s management’s powers and, naturally, that the interference it suffered in the recently closed transfer window does not happen again in the middle of the year.
Al Nassr face Al Ittihad on Friday.
In recent months, Al Nassr’s sporting director Simão Coutinho and the club’s CEO José Semedo, both Portuguese, were suspended from their positions by the PIF, a move that angered Ronaldo and hindered the arrival of top reinforcements for the team coached by compatriot Jorge Jesus. Moreover, there was a significant cut in the club’s expenses.
Al Hilal, meanwhile, received a large financial boost from Saudi prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, the billionaire businessman, who is one of the club benefactors, to strengthen the squad. Sources have told ESPN that all of Al Hilal’s signings in this transfer window, including that of Benzema, were funded by Prince Al Waleed, who is part of the group that owns 25% of the club, with the remaining 75% owned by PIF.
According to sources, Ronaldo, who has yet to win a major title since joining Al Nassr in 2022, is very angry. Although he has offers to leave the club now, primarily from Europe and the United States, he does not want to do so as it could hinder his preparations for the World Cup. The former Real Madrid star signed a contract extension last summer with Al Nassr until June 2027 and has a €50 million ($59m) release clause.
The Saudi Pro League does not want to lose their biggest ambassador. According to sources, Al Nassr and PIF have promised Ronaldo big investments in the summer, with his Portuguese teammate Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United considered as a potential reinforcement among other big names.
Al Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada, meanwhile, said he does not understand Al Nassr and Ronaldo’s frustrations. “You should ask them,” Calzada told Cadena Ser radio when asked about Ronaldo’s angry. “We are focusing on ourselves. In the end, it’s not like they [Al Nassr] had a bad summer transfer window with João Félix [and Kingsley] Coman arriving.
“There’s a rivalry and a passion in this country that I never would have imagined; I thought I’d seen it all. People have gone crazy with the [Benzema] signing.” Benzema’s arrival is a big boost for Al Hilal, who are one point clear of Al Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League.
The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner was instrumental in Al Ittihad winning the Saudi Pro League crown and the King’s Cup last season. “We were looking to sign a striker, and a unique opportunity came up,” Calzada said. “A Ballon d’Or winner, with a spectacular talent-the statistics speak for themselves. On top of that, he doesn’t have to adapt to our league. It all fell into place, it was made possible. We’re absolutely thrilled.
“I’m not surprised Benzema chose us, because ultimately Al Hilal is the most popular and powerful club not only in Saudi Arabia, but also in Asia. “We’re ready to compete for all the titles and we’re in a good position to do so this season.” Benzema’s impact is not just on the pitch, Calzada said.
“We’re already seeing the results in the commercial and media content departments,” he said.
“Even though it’s strictly a sporting signing, we’ve gotten to work to get the best possible return on our investment.”
