Cristiano Ronaldo has ended his strike at Al Nasr, determined to return to the starting lineup this weekend, but his long-term future at the club remains in doubt
Cristiano Ronaldo ends Al Nasr’s strike (Image: Waleed Zein/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to return to Al Nasr’s starting lineup this weekend after his strike ends. Ronaldo won the power struggle despite missing the club’s last two games in protest at the lack of reinforcements in the January transfer window.
The 41-year-old forward shocked his employers by refusing to take to the field last week. He is frustrated with Al Nasr’s owners, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), over the lack of transfer activity at the club.
PIF owns a handful of clubs in the Saudi Professional League and Ronaldo watched with envy last month as Al Ittihad loosened their purse strings to sign Karim Benzema. Ronaldo made his feelings clear on the matter and took issue with Al-Nassr, the Pro League and the PIF, all of which are intricately linked.
He missed the matches against Al Ittihad and Al Riyadh, but is now available again for Saturday’s match against Al Fateh and the rest of the season, the Times reported. This comes after Al Nasr resolved two of the issues raised by Ronaldo.
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First of all, the powers of chief executive José Semedo and director of football Siman Coutinho (both close allies and Portuguese compatriots of Ronaldo) have been re-established, while previously unpaid club staff are now being paid.
Although the situation was resolved in the short term, the controversy has cast doubt on Ronaldo’s long-term future in Saudi Arabia. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star is under contract with Al Nasr until the end of next season, with a release clause of £43 million, effective from this summer.
He has attracted interest from Europe and MLS, but his current salary, which equates to around £488,000 a day, is a clear barrier for other clubs not backed by the oil-rich country’s sovereign wealth fund.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been unhappy with Al Nasr lately (Image: Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images)
Although Ronaldo was ultimately the victor, a statement from an SPL spokesperson last week revealed where Saudi Arabia’s real power lies. “(The league) is built on a simple principle: all clubs operate independently under the same rules,” they said.
“Clubs have their own boards, their own executives and their own football leaders. Decisions about recruitment, spending and strategy are left to those clubs within a financial framework designed to ensure a balance between sustainability and competitiveness. That framework applies equally across the league.”
Al Nasr fans showed their support for Cristiano Ronaldo over the weekend (Image: Fayez NURELDINE / AFP via Getty Images)
“Cristiano has been fully involved with Al Nasr since joining and has played a key role in the club’s growth and ambitions. Like any elite player, he wants to win. But no one, no matter how important, makes decisions beyond his own club.
“Recent transfer activity clearly shows that independence. Some clubs have strengthened in certain ways, others have chosen a different approach. They were club decisions taken within the approved financial terms.”
“The competitiveness of the league speaks for itself. With only a few points separating the top four, the title race is very strong. That level of balance reflects that the system is working as intended. The focus remains on maintaining credible and competitive competition on the pitch, where football belongs, and for players and fans.”
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