According to talkSPORT, due to disagreements over fund allocation and transfer strategies, Cristiano Ronaldo has clearly expressed his dissatisfaction to officials of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Saudi Pro League, and warned that he does not rule out the possibility of leaving Saudi Arabia.
Although the 41-year-old Portuguese star just renewed his contract with Al Nassr in June last year, extending it until summer 2027, he is disappointed with the club's recent transfer moves. On Monday, Ronaldo missed Al Nassr's 1-0 victory over Al Shabab. It is understood that his dissatisfaction is closely related to Karim Benzema's transfer from Al Ittihad Jeddah to Al Hilal.
talkSPORT has learned that Ronaldo does not have personal dissatisfaction with this former Real Madrid teammate moving between clubs controlled by the Public Investment Fund; instead, he cannot understand how Al Hilal obtained approved funds to fully meet Benzema's salary demands. The Saudi Public Investment Fund insists that each club has independent decision-making power on transfer issues. Al Hilal, on the other hand, emphasizes that the deal was funded by its minority shareholder Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Earlier, the terms proposed by Al Ittihad Jeddah in contract renewal negotiations were deemed insulting by Benzema, leading to tense relations between the two parties, and Al Hilal subsequently agreed to sign a one-year contract with him. Benzema scored a hat-trick on his debut against Al-Khaleej on Thursday.
Ronaldo has returned to Al Nassr's training this week, but as tensions escalate, he is expected to miss Friday's home game against Al Ittihad Jeddah. Senior Saudi officials have noticed obvious dissatisfaction from the outside world regarding the Public Investment Fund and some transfer strategies of the Saudi Pro League. Ronaldo played a key role in building Al Nassr's management team, including pushing for the appointment of CEO José Semedo and sports director Simão Cotrim. However, he is believed to be disappointed with the financial support the club has received, thinking it limits the management's operating space in the transfer market.
In this winter transfer window, Al Nassr only signed Saudi forward Abdullah Hamdan from Al Hilal and Iraqi midfielder Haider Abdul-Karim from Al-Zour Sports Club.
Saudi clubs share a budget of approximately 2 billion euros per season, which is usually allocated in the summer for transfer fees, agent fees, and player salaries. The relevant funds come from the so-called Player Recruitment Excellence Center program and are distributed based on the actual needs and market opportunities of each club, so the amount each team receives varies. This mechanism has caused friction among the four clubs controlled by the Public Investment Fund—Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad Jeddah, and Al Ahli Jeddah—who can also use their own funds.
However, this issue may not be long-term. It is expected that by 2030, all four clubs will have new private owners, with Al Hilal expected to be sold the earliest, possibly even as early as this year. Saudi sources emphasize that the Public Investment Fund has only been an interim holder in the initial stage of privatization from the beginning.Some senior Saudi officials even hope that Ronaldo will choose to acquire Al Nassr after his retirement.But the more urgent short-term challenge now is to ease Ronaldo's dissatisfaction. In the future, Ronaldo is expected to continue talks with the Public Investment Fund and senior officials of the Saudi Pro League. The Saudi side has a clear attitude: they hope to retain the star and expect him to reach the milestone of 1000 career goals in the Saudi League.
Regarding the recent situation, a spokesperson for the Saudi Pro League responded on Thursday evening. The spokesperson said: "The basic structure of the Saudi Pro League is very clear; all clubs operate independently under the same rules. Each club has its own board of directors, management team, and decision-making system for football affairs. Transfers, expenditures, and overall strategies are all decided by the club itself and are bound by a unified financial framework that aims to ensure the sustainable development and competitive balance of the league, treating all teams equally."
Ronaldo's next destination
Ronaldo's contract with Al Nassr includes a 50 million euro termination clause. talkSPORT understands that several Turkish clubs have been closely monitoring the situation ahead of the summer transfer window. The outside world does not believe that Ronaldo will refuse to play for a long time, because his absence will directly affect Al Nassr's championship prospects, and the lack of stable playing time in a World Cup year is also disadvantageous. However, the club's board of directors expressed support for his decision to temporarily miss the games. Inside Al Nassr, this issue is regarded as a dynamic situation that needs to be evaluated day by day, and there is still room for change.