Ronaldo refuses to play for Al Nassr

Al Nassr enjoyed a fantastic start to the season with ten consecutive victories. Joao Felix’s arrival last June proved to be a masterstroke, as the Portuguese forward flourished in Saudi Arabia and went on a scoring streak. However, much has changed since the start of 2026. The team have suffered three straight defeats, while Felix has gone goalless in his last seven matches. Al Nassr have dropped to second place and currently trail their biggest rivals, Al Hilal, by three points — though that is not the club’s biggest concern.

Portuguese outlet A Bola, citing sources within Al Nassr, claims that Cristiano Ronaldo refused to play in a match against city rivals Al Riyadh. The club’s biggest star — and the face of the entire Saudi league — is reportedly unhappy with how Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund manages Al Nassr and with the club’s treatment compared to rivals who are also under the fund’s control. It appears that Ronaldo’s reason for protest is a poorly handled transfer window, which in Saudi Arabia closes tonight. So far, Al Nassr have signed only one player — 21-year-old Iraqi Haider Abdulkarim — and that only a few days ago. At the same time, league leaders Al Hilal are pushing hard to sign Karim Benzema, while his younger compatriot, 18-year-old striker Kader Meite from Rennes, has already been unveiled, and midfielder Simon Buabre (19) from Saudi club Neom is also close to signing. Together, those deals are worth more than 50 million euros.

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Clearly, Cristiano Ronaldo was hoping that his fourth season would finally bring a trophy with Al Nassr. However, signing only a young Iraqi player is hardly enough to help the team overtake their biggest rivals at the top of the table. His dissatisfaction could become a problem not only for the club but also for the image of the entire league, as this winter transfer window for Saudi clubs has been noticeably weaker compared to previous years. For example, last January Saudi football welcomed Jhon Duran for 77 million euros, Galeno for 50 million, Seko Fofana for 20 million, Matteo Dams and Caio Cesar for nine million euros each, and Talisca as a free agent. Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr runs until June 2027 — he extended it by two years last year — but whether he will see it through to the end is now a big question after the latest developments.