Cristiano Ronaldo has gone on strike at Al-Nassr after being left furious by the PIF’s decision to allow title rivals Al-Hilal to sign Karim Benzema on transfer deadline day
Cristiano Ronaldo has gone on strike(Image: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s future has been thrust into the spotlight amid his controversial strike in Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo, who turns 41 on Thursday, refused to play for Al-Nassr in their 1-0 victory over Al-Riyadh on Monday after being left furious by Karim Benzema’s move to title rivals Al-Hilal.
Benzema, who Ronaldo played alongside for Real Madrid, had his contract with Al-Ittihad terminated before completing a free transfer to Al-Hilal, who are one point above Al-Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League. However, all three clubs are owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Ronaldo is angry that the deal was sanctioned, believing that Al-Hilal’s title hopes have been wrongly boosted by signing the French striker.
The situation has sparked speculation over whether Ronaldo will see out the final 18 months of his £488,000-a-day contract with Al-Nassr. So could the five-time Ballon d’Or winner return for a stunning third spell with Manchester United?
No, according to his ex-team-mate, Wes Brown. Former United defender Brown told BettingLounge: “He’s not happy but would Cristiano Ronaldo come back to Manchester United for a third go? I would say no.
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OPINION
Jeremy CrossREAD MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo’s next club odds as Man Utd legend ‘goes on strike’ at Al-Nassr
“I can’t see how that could happen. A move to MLS? Maybe. Maybe he goes back to Portugal and plays there. I’m sure he will still have so many options.
“The main thing is that he still wants to play in the World Cup and we would have to keep playing and making sure he keeps himself fit to do that. It’s a shock to everyone to see Ronaldo on strike but I honestly think it will get resolved. We’ll have to wait and see where it goes from here.”
Ronaldo nor any of his team-mates and coaches have made public statements since Monday’s win. Manager Jorge Jesus saw his post-match press conference cancelled while their players were told not to speak to the media.
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Wes Brown played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for six years at Manchester United(Image: Tom Jenkins/Getty Images)
Al-Nassr next play on Friday, hosting Al-Ittihad, and Ronaldo’s involvement remains a mystery. Al-Hilal, on the other hand, will face strugglers Al-Akhdoud at home.
The league leaders have given Al-Nassr a sniff of hope in recent weeks, drawing their last two games. Failure to beat Al-Akhdoud would give Al-Nassr the chance to go top, having last won the title in 2019, long before Ronaldo’s arrival from United in 2022.
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