Al Nassr player Cristiano Ronaldo continues with his strike at the Saudi Pro League, refusing to play for two games now protesting not to the club, but to the club's owners, the Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, after he feels that his team is receiving less investment than other Saudi teams also owned by the PIF, Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad.
Ronaldo, who has yet to win the league or a major trophy since he joined the Saudi football in 2022, thinks that Al Hilal receives preferential treatment, as they recently reinforced with his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema, who scored a hat-trick in his debut match on Thursday.
Ronaldo, who is the best paid footballer in the world, did not feature in the squad for the 1-0 victory against Al-Riyadh last Monday, and will not feature in this afternoon's match against Al-Ittihad.
Saudi Pro League dismisses Ronaldo's protests
Despite receiving a new contract extension until 2027, the Portuguese, who turned 41 yesterday, February 5, is unhappy with the Saudi Pro League. Meanwhile, the SPL issued an statement saying that "no individual - however significant - determines decisions beyond their own club".
"The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: every club operates independently under the same rules. Clubs have their own boards, their own executives and their own football leadership. Decisions on recruitment, spending and strategy sit with those clubs, within a financial framework designed to ensure sustainability and competitive balance.
"Recent transfer activity demonstrates that independence clearly. One club strengthened in a particular way. Another chose a different approach. Those were club decisions, taken within approved financial parameters."
Ronaldo's team Al-Nassr is third in the Saudi Pro League with 46 points with one match less, behind Al-Ahli (47 points) and Al-Hilal (50 points).
"The competitiveness of the league speaks for itself. With only a few points separating the top four, the title race is very much alive. That level of balance reflects a system that is working as intended", added the Saudi Pro League in a statement.
Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo's future in Saudi Arabia - and his ambition to score 1,000 goals - is in danger?