aCristiano Ronaldo, who missed the Saudi Pro League match against Al Nasr against Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the games against Al Riyadh and Al Ittihad, is scheduled to return to the team for the match against Al Fateh on Saturday, February 14th at the Prince Abdullah bin Jarawi Stadium.
However, CR7’s presence in the team has grown even more significant since Al Nasr manager renewed the Portuguese player’s contract on a permanent basis.
His coaching future lies in the hands of CR7
Ronaldo signed a contract with Al Nasr in December 2022 worth an estimated annual salary of more than 200 million yen, making him the highest-paid player in the world.
His arrival in the Saudi league has excited the fans and they will be able to continue to enjoy his playing until 2027 after the Portuguese player’s contract is renewed.
However, following a two-game strike against Al Nasr in the Saudi Professional League, rumors that he could leave the club in the summer transfer window sounded alarm bells for the manager. The Portuguese questioned the transfer policy of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund (owner of Al Nasr, Al Hilal, Al Ahly and Al Ittihad) and the delay in paying salaries to several employees and collaborators of the Saudi club.
And while the issue seemed to be resolved, Jorge Jesús made a decision. Al Riyadiya (via OneFootball) reported that Jesus will only remain in the team if the 41-year-old captain also does so.
“Jesus is said to not be willing to discuss new terms until Ronaldo’s situation is more clear and his own contract expires at the end of this season.”
This could be a double blow as Al Nasr will not only lose his top scorer, but also the manager who took over the team before the 2025-26 season and had already won 24 games out of 30.
Meanwhile, Cristiano and Al Nasr will face Al Fateh next Saturday, February 14, at the Prince Abdullah bin Jarawi Stadium, but the Portuguese star will not be traveling to Turkmenistan for Wednesday’s Asian Champions League 2 first leg match against FK Al-Qadag.
