Ronaldo is once again causing a stir at Al Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo is highly likely to miss the match against Al Ittihad for Al Nassr to maintain his stance against the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

According to sources from ESPN, Al Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo will continue to hold a firm position and skip his second consecutive Saudi Pro League game, as he has not received any concrete commitments from the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) regarding changes in the club's management.

Insiders report that if no clear guarantees about these changes come in the next few weeks, Ronaldo will request to leave Al Nassr in June. Previously, the Portuguese forward refused to play in the 1-0 victory over Al Riyadh as a form of protest. He believes that PIF is not investing enough in Al Nassr and is favoring their direct competitor Al Hilal.

ESPN also revealed that Ronaldo tried to block Karim Benzema's transfer from Al Ittihad to Al Hilal, feeling it was an unfair move and a sign that PIF was paving the way for Al Hilal to win the championship.

This week, Ronaldo has continued training with the team and posted photos wearing Al Nassr training gear on social media. However, on the official X account of Al Nassr on the same day, only images of coach Jorge Jesus and other players appeared, with no sign of Ronaldo. Behind the scenes, Ronaldo made it clear that his return to playing depends on the club’s leadership fully regaining authority soon, and that interventions like those during the last transfer window will not happen again mid-year.

In recent months, Al Nassr's sporting director Simao Coutinho and CEO Jose Semedo have both been suspended by PIF. This decision angered Ronaldo and significantly affected the squad strengthening plans led by coach Jorge Jesus. Additionally, the club’s spending budget has been drastically reduced.

In contrast, Al Hilal has received abundant funding from Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, a billionaire and major club sponsor, to reinforce their squad. According to ESPN, all of Al Hilal’s transfer deals this window, including Benzema’s, have been financed by Prince Alwaleed. He currently owns 25% of the club’s shares, while PIF holds the remaining 75%.

Sources say Ronaldo is very upset. Despite receiving offers to leave the club now, mainly from Europe and the U.S., he does not want to depart due to concerns over preparing for the 2026 World Cup.

The former Real Madrid star extended his contract with Al Nassr last summer until June 2027, with a release clause worth 50 million Euros. The Saudi Pro League organizers also do not want to lose their biggest star.