Ronaldo misses 2nd Al Nassr game amid dispute

Cristiano Ronaldo will miss a second straight game for Al Nassr amid his ongoing dispute with the Saudi Pro League.

The 41-year-old was absent from the lineup for Friday’s match against Al Ittihad, having also not featured in Monday’s victory over Al Riyadh.

Sources had told ESPN that Ronaldo planned on boycotting Friday’s game after not receiving a guarantee that the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) will make changes regarding the Saudi Pro League club’s management.

However, Al Nassr were expecting Ronaldo to take part in the fixture, sources had said.

ESPN has reported that Ronaldo missed Monday’s win because of his unhappiness with the the PIF’s help for his club in the transfer window.

Ronaldo saw his club’s rivals Al Hilal, who are also 75% owned by the PIF, sign Karim Benzema, his former Real Madrid teammate, from Al Ittihad during the January window.

The Saudi Pro League issued a statement on Thursday warning Ronaldo that no player could influence decisions beyond his own team.

“The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: Every club operates independently under the same rules,” the league said.

“Clubs have their own boards, their own executives and their own football leadership. Decisions on recruitment, spending and strategy sit with those clubs, within a financial framework designed to ensure sustainability and competitive balance. That framework applies equally across the league.

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“Cristiano has been fully engaged with Al Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club’s growth and ambition,” the league’s statement continued. “Like any elite competitor, he wants to win. But no individual — however significant — determines decisions beyond their own club.

“Recent transfer activity demonstrates that independence clearly. One club strengthened in a particular way. Another chose a different approach. Those were club decisions, taken within approved financial parameters.

“The competitiveness of the league speaks for itself. With only a few points separating the top four, the title race is very much alive. That level of balance reflects a system that is working as intended.

“The focus remains on football — on the pitch, where it belongs — and on maintaining a credible, competitive competition for players and fans.”

Transfer funds are understood to come not from the PIF but instead from a player acquisition fund.

The fund is overseen by the Saudi Pro League centrally and provides funding for clubs annually based on their size, with the country’s big four — Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli — all believed to have received roughly the same amount before the summer transfer window opened last year.

ESPN’s Bruno Andrade, Julien Laurens and PA contributed to this report.