*This content was translated by AI.
Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al Nasr) refused to play because he was dissatisfied with the club. Therefore, there are even transfer rumors that Ronaldo may leave the team.
Sports media "ESPN" said on the 3rd (Korea Standard Time), "Ronaldo has been excluded from the list of Saudi Arabia's professional league (SPL) games with Aliyadh," adding, "This is not due to injuries or discord with coach Jorge Jesús." Ronaldo complained that Alnasr's investment was less than that of other clubs belonging to Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund (PIF), the report said.
Ronaldo reportedly chose the so-called 'game no-show'. Despite Ronaldo's absence, Al-Nasr won 1-0 thanks to former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane's winning goal, chasing leader Al-Hilal by one point.
Ronaldo's dissatisfaction, however, is at its peak. Ronaldo is already known to be furious because the club has not strengthened its power to compete for the championship.
According to sources at ESPN, Al-Nasr's rival Al-Hilal has significantly strengthened his power by recruiting Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, 18-year-old striker Mohamed Mate of Stade Ren, and Fiorentina defender Pablo Mari in the transfer market.
On the other hand, al-Nasr only recruited Haider Abdulkarim, a midfielder for Iraq's U-23 national team.
Manager Jesús Al-Nasr also said, "We talked about the winter transfer market, but we have no room for foreign player quotas. The club's financial situation is not good, so we do not allow recruitment, he said. "I hoped one or two or maybe three players would join."
In this atmosphere, Ronaldo signed a renewal contract in June and is under contract until June 2027, but the situation has made his future unclear.
Ronaldo's refusal to play naturally led to rumors of a transfer. On the same day, Spanish media 'Pichahes' predicted, "Ronaldo, who is angry at the operation of the PIF, may leave Saudi Arabia on the last day of the winter transfer market."
In particular, Benzema's transfer to Al Hilal became a catalyst. Ronaldo's side judged that the recruitment of Benzema-level players by Al Hilal, the league's leading and winning rival, was a complete breakdown of the competitive balance.
"Ronaldo feels that he has been used simply as a publicity tool to attract media attention, not as the center of a league that guarantees fair competition," Pichahes said. "His refusal to play is not just an impromptu act, but a clear warning message that unfair situations cannot be accepted."
As a result, the possibility of returning to Europe was raised again. "The door to Ronaldo's return to Europe, which was closed a few months ago, has reopened," the media said. "Multiple clubs are trying to contact Ronaldo after detecting his uncertain situation."
"It's very complicated to get Ronaldo transferred in January. However, it is clear that Ronaldo is still the best player, he said. "If he leaves Saudi Arabia completely, there will be European clubs who want to sign him on a short-term loan."
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*This content was translated by AI.
