Online Reporter
AL-NASSR fans showed their support for Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday night as the Portuguese football star missed a second straight game after reportedly growing frustrated over transfers.
The 41-year-old was absent from the matchday squad for Al-Nassr’s 2-0 win against Al-Ittihad after also missing Monday’s 1-0 victory over Al-Riyadh.
Fans held up placards showing “7”, Ronaldo’s shirt number, in the seventh minute of the game at Al-Nassr’s home ground in Riyadh.
Portugal’s A Bola newspaper said Ronaldo has complained that rival Saudi Pro League clubs got a better deal in the recent transfer window.
League leaders Al-Hilal, one point ahead of Al-Nassr, signed ex-Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who scored a hat-trick on debut after switching from Al-Ittihad.
Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli are all owned by the Public Investment Fund, oil-rich Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Ronaldo has not commented publicly but a widely reported Saudi Pro League statement said the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, “like any elite competitor, wants to win. However, no individual, no matter how important, can influence decisions outside of their club”.
Ronaldo is yet to win the Saudi league since joining Al- Nassr in January 2023.
Several big names have followed him to Saudi Arabia, which will host the 2034 World Cup.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr after leaving Manchester United in December 2022, becoming the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177 million.
The club, who have won 10 Saudi Pro League titles, called the signing “history in the making”, but Ronaldo has only won the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023 since the move.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner signed a new two-year contract in June 2025.
Both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal — the country’s most successful club with 19 league titles — are among the teams controlled by the PIF, which also backs Newcastle United.
BBC Sport has been told former Real Madrid teammate Benzema’s move to league leaders Al-Hilal from Al-Ittihad earlier this week was the principal reason for Ronaldo’s frustration at Al-Nassr.
French striker Benzema (38) scored a hat-trick on his debut for Al-Hilal in a 6-0 win over Al-Okhdood on Thursday.
Al-Nassr are second in the league, one point behind leaders Al-Hilal, with both having played 20 matches so far this season. — AFP SportBC Sport
