Cristiano Ronaldo missed Al-Nassr’s squad amid what CBS Sports sources indicate is frustration from the Portugal superstar over the management of the club by its owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Ronaldo’s frustrations come at a time when the side Al-Nassr are attempting to overhaul in the Saudi title race have been granted a major boost with Al-Hilal close to finalising the signing of Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad.
Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen when head coach Jorge Jesus named his side to face Al-Riyadh on Monday in what is understood to be a decision taken by the player, reflecting his frustration at transfer business with the Pro League giants. Al-Nassr have made no new signings in the January transfer window but sources say they were still working to strengthen their squad in the final hours before the transfer window closes Monday.
Without their top scorer Al-Nassr earned a 1-0 win that moved them within a point of leaders Al-Hilal, who played out a goalless draw in their game against Al-Ahli. At the same time they were bidding to conclude the on-again, off-again saga around Benzema, whose move from Jeddah to Riyadh seemed to have stalled in the afternoon only for an agreement to be struck late on. It had been suggested that Benzema, out of contract at Al-Ittihad in the summer, was not keen to stay at his current club under the terms offered by PIF, who own Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal.
However a late breakthrough has been found that is expected to see Benzema sign on as an Al-Hilal player until the summer of 2027. That move is understood to have been poorly received by Ronaldo, who is frustrated at the lack of support that his club have received from PIF.
Ronaldo’s actions have the backing of some senior figures at Al-Nassr, according to CBS Sports sources, as the complications that come with one organisation owning four of Saudi Arabia’s leading clubs spill over onto the pitch. CBS Sports has previously revealed the tension that hovers over relations between some of the biggest teams in the country, which burst to the surface in the summer when Al-Hilal attempted to secure the services of Ronaldo for the Club World Cup. Questions over how PIF was managing Al-Nassr also bubbled up a year ago when there was a split between club and owner over whether to pursue a deal for Victor Boniface or Jhon Duran, the latter arriving despite not being the first choice of the hierarchy at AL-AWWAL PARK Stadium.
Ronaldo, 40, still has nearly 18 months left to run on the contract he signed with Al-Nassr in the summer and there has so far been no suggestion that he might look to cut his stay short. Instead he will hope that his deadline day strike will convince PIF to offer backing to his side in the final moments of the transfer window.
