Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Al-Nassr has been thrown into doubt after the Saudi Pro League publicly stressed that no player, regardless of stature, can influence decisions beyond their own club.
The 41-year-old Portugal forward was left out of Al-Nassr’s squad for Monday’s league match against Al-Riyadh, prompting reports in Portugal that he had refused to play amid growing frustration with how the club is being run.
Ronaldo later posted a picture of himself back in training, but uncertainty remains over whether he will feature in Friday’s clash with Al-Ittihad.
As reported by BBC on Friday, Ronaldo’s dissatisfaction was allegedly fuelled primarily by Karim Benzema’s move earlier this week from Al-Ittihad to league leaders Al-Hilal.
Benzema, a former Real Madrid team-mate of Ronaldo, made an immediate impact by scoring a hat-trick on his debut in a 6-0 win over Al-Okhdood.
Both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are controlled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has overseen the rapid expansion and global profile of the Saudi Pro League.
However, league officials moved quickly to dismiss any suggestion that high-profile individuals could shape recruitment across clubs.
