Ronaldo ends the strike but on his terms

He got angry easily — and calmed down even faster. Just seven days after going on strike, Cristiano Ronaldo has called it off. “White smoke in Riyadh” is how the Portuguese outlet A Bola begins its report on Ronaldo’s return to the team, emphasizing that the “power struggle that had paralyzed Al Nassr’s universe has finally ended”. To recap, Ronaldo, unhappy with the way his club was being treated by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, decided not to play for Al Nassr until the club’s leadership met a series of demands he had presented. Over the past seven days, they have done exactly that. In addition to long-standing dissatisfaction with what he saw as the fund’s unequal treatment of the top clubs, the final straw was the failure to pay salaries to some employees.

Saudi league stands up to Cristiano: "Not even you are above the rules"

According to A Bola, the Portuguese star made it clear he would not accept such treatment of the people who work for the club every day. Under pressure from their captain, Al Nassr’s management settled all outstanding payments to employees and associates in the final hours, paving the way for the situation to calm down. At the same time, authority has been restored to Portuguese directors Jose Semedo and Simao Coutinho. The duo had their decision-making powers revoked at the end of December and were not involved in Al Nassr’s January transfer dealings — in other words, they were unable to bring in the players Ronaldo wanted. Now, reportedly, they will once again have a voice. However, Ronaldo will not return to the pitch immediately. He will miss Wednesday’s AFC Champions League Two match against Arkadag and is expected to rejoin the team over the weekend, when Al Nassr visit Al Fateh in the Saudi league.