Competition strengthened the squad
©IMAGO
A day before his 41st birthday, Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have ended his strike at Al-Nassr FC. The Portuguese striker posted a photo of himself training on Wednesday evening with a yellow and blue heart emoji – the Saudi club’s colors. It’s a subtle way for the world’s highest-paid athlete to suggest he’s available again after being left out of the squad for Monday’s 1-0 away win over Al-Riyadh.
In the meantime, rumors emerged that the Saudi Pro League superstar had left the country. With his strike he wanted to put pressure on the PIF (Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia), which is responsible for the finances of the largest Saudi clubs. The 41-year-old is said to have been angry about the PIF’s activities. The fact that his former Madrid colleague Karim Benzema (38) has now moved to the closest title rivals Al-Hilal is said to play a major role in the Portuguese’s frustration.
Ronaldo’s criticism: Al-Nassr modest on the transfer market, Al-Hilal is upgrading
Ronaldo is annoyed by Al-Nassr’s lack of activity in the transfer market. Coach Jorge Jesus called for reinforcements, but this winter the main investment was in major rivals Al-Hilal, which is at the top of the table in the championship race just ahead of Al-Nassr. Al-Nassr signed Saudi international Abdullah Al-Hamdan from Al-Hilal and Iraqi midfielder Haydeer Abdulkareem from Al-Zawraa SC. Al-Hilal secured seven signings for a good 70 million euros – in addition to Benzema, Kader Meïté from Stade Rennes and Saïmon Bouabré from NEOM SC.
The highly decorated Ronaldo has so far been denied a title in the desert state – he has been waiting for a major success at club level since 2021. The last trophy the Portuguese was able to celebrate was the Italian Cup with Juventus Turin. An unprecedented dry spell for Ronaldo, who at the age of 41 has a market value of 12 million euros.
When comparing the most valuable footballers aged 35 and over, only Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) is ahead of him with 15 million euros, although the Argentine is only 38. When Ronaldo was 38, his market value was also 15 million euros. The only 40-year-old among the world’s most valuable veterans is AC Milan’s Luka Modrić, with a market value of €4 million.
