Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence from Al-Nassr’s latest league win was not a matter of fitness, form or friction with the coach. It was a message.
Frustration over Al-Nassr’s subdued January transfer window led the Portuguese star to make himself unavailable for Monday’s 1-0 victory over Al-Riyadh, multiple media outlets reported, turning a routine league match into a pointed moment of leverage from one of football’s most demanding competitors.
Ronaldo, who turns 41 on Thursday, opted out of head coach Jorge Jesus’ squad after the Saudi Pro League transfer window closed without a major reinforcement for a club locked in a title race.
Al-Nassr sit second in the standings and are chasing unbeaten leaders Al-Hilal, and Ronaldo reportedly believed the squad needed a statement addition to sustain that pursuit.
The decision was not disciplinary. Ronaldo is neither injured nor ill, and there has been no fallout with Jesus, according to ESPN.
Nor is his long-term future in doubt. He signed a lucrative two-year contract extension in June 2025 that runs through the summer of 2027, reaffirming his commitment to the club and the project.
Al-Nassr still did their job on the pitch.
Sadio Mane’s goal secured a fifth straight league win and pulled them to within one point of Al-Hilal. But the timing sharpened the contrast Ronaldo appears to resent.
On the same deadline day, Al-Hilal moved decisively, finalizing the arrival of Karim Benzema, Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate, after the striker’s contract with Al-Ittihad was terminated. The deal further strengthened an already dominant rival.
According to CBS Sports, senior Al-Nassr officials understand Ronaldo’s frustration, which is directed less at the coaching staff than at the broader investment structure overseen by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which controls Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and two other Pro League clubs.
Perceived imbalances in backing have become a growing undercurrent in the league’s title race.
Al-Nassr’s winter business included modest additions and squad adjustments but no marquee signing. For Ronaldo, that restraint stood out amid a season where margins are thin and expectations, especially his own, remain unforgiving.
Since arriving in Riyadh in late 2022, Ronaldo has delivered relentlessly: 91 league goals in 95 matches, and 961 career goals for club and country, the most in football history. Even at 41, his standards have not softened.
