Cristiano Ronaldo: Why ‘Angry’ Portugal Star Is Refusing to Play for Al-Nassr
- Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly declared himself unavailable for Al-Nassr’s next matches amid a standoff with the club
- Ronaldo is not injured, nor is his workload being managed, but is unlikely to feature against Al-Riyadh in the league
- Reports in his native Portugal have confirmed the reason the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is refusing to play
Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly declared himself unavailable to play for Al-Nassr in their next league matches, and the reason has emerged.
Al-Nassr is currently preparing for a Saudi Professional League fixture away against Al-Riyadh, but could be without their biggest player.
Source: Getty Images
At 40 and soon to be 41 on February 5, Ronaldo’s workload is being managed as he aims for full fitness for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, a report in Portugal has dismissed the claims that Ronaldo’s potential unavailability is due to fitness or workload management.
Why Ronaldo refuses to play
According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, the five-time Ballon d'Or is refusing to play because of his displeasure with the club’s management.
Ronaldo is reportedly unhappy with how the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) over the support to Al-Nassr, compared to the other clubs managed by the organisation.
PIF also manages Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, all of which have either won the Saudi Pro League or AFC Champions League recently, while Al-Nassr remain trophyless since Ronaldo joined.
Ronaldo’s anger was reportedly heightened as league leaders Al-Hilal closed in on the signing of Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, which would be their fifth signing during the current window.
However, Al-Nassr has only signed Iraqi U23 midfielder Haydeer Abdulkareem in January, a stark contrast with their rivals and title contenders.
Head coach Jorge Jesus will hope that the incident is resolved quickly, with a crunch tie against Al-Ittihad to come on Friday, a day after Ronaldo turns 41.
The Portuguese manager had earlier called out for signings to improve the squad as they remain firmly in contention for their first league title since 2019.
Source: Getty Images
"I spoke about the winter period. 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,” he said as quoted by ESPN.
Al-Nassr’s lack of quality was evident after the team went on a run of three consecutive losses during Sadio Mane’s absence at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ronaldo has a contract with the Knights of Najd until June 2027, having recently signed a contract extension, which retains his spot as the highest paid player in the world.
Ronaldo welcomes Mane from AFCON
Legit.ng previously reported that Cristiano Ronaldo led his Al-Nassr teammates to welcome Sadio Mane when the Senegal star returned from AFCON.
Mane returned as African champion after Senegal beat Morocco in the final, and Ronaldo presented him with the champions’ cake from the club.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
