Cristiano Ronaldo will refuse to play in Al Nassr’s upcoming match due to his dissatisfaction with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) over a lack of transfer activity at the club.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr back in December 2022 following the conclusion of his second stint at Manchester United. The Portuguese star has since been the poster boy of the Saudi Pro League, publicising the league on and off the pitch.
However, it would now seem all is not well with the Portugal star refusing to play in Al-Nassr’s next game on Monday.
According to Portuguese outlet, A Bola, Ronaldo is unhappy with PIF over their transfer activity compared to rivals, including Al-Hilal, who are close to signing Karim Benzema.
Ronaldo is planning to prove his point by effectively going on strike for Al-Nassr’s next match.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring a goal for Al Nassr. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
It’s also understood that another bone of contention for Ronaldo is the fact that Simao Coutinho, the club’s sporting director, and chief executive officer, Jose Semedo, have seen their powers cut following a board meeting last month.
Al-Nassr have only been able to add young midfielder Haydeer Abdulkareem to his squad. Jorge Jesus, the club’s head coach recently hinted that the club’s finances “weren’t good” in the wake of scrutiny over the club’s transfer activity.
“I spoke about the winter period,“ Jesus said. “We don’t have any openings for foreign players, and the financial situation at Al-Nassr is not good and doesn’t allow it. I hope that one or two, maybe three players can join us.“
Ronaldo signed a two-year contract extension with Al-Nassr last June, meaning he is committed to the club until the summer of 2027.
