Al Nassr, a Saudi Pro League (SPL) club, pays him over £175 million ($240 million) annually, but the star, who will turn 41 on Thursday, missed the team’s last match due to differences with the club’s management.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player’s contract includes a €50 million (£44 million) release clause. He was not included in the matchday squad for Al Nassr’s 1-0 win over Al Riyadh on Monday night, and it remains unclear whether he will feature in the clash against Al-Ittihad this Friday.
An anonymous insider at Al Nassr stated that Ronaldo’s future is "totally unpredictable", adding that "everything has to be taken one step at a time".
This marks Ronaldo’s first absence from an SPL match this season, and the Al Nassr captain has thus sparked doubts over his long-term future in Saudi Arabia – even though he only renewed his contract with the club for another two years last summer, keeping him at the club until at least 2027.
Al Nassr is one of the four SPL clubs controlled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which also holds a 75% stake in three other clubs: Al Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli.
How has Ronaldo performed since joining Saudi Arabia?
As expected, the player on the verge of reaching the 1000-goal milestone in his career has maintained a goalscoring rate similar to his tenure at Real Madrid and Juventus since moving to the less competitive league.
Despite scoring 111 goals in 127 appearances for Al Nassr, major trophies have long eluded him.
When Ronaldo joined in January 2023, Al Nassr was leading the SPL table, but they finished as runners-up that season, losing to Al-Ittihad. Since his arrival, the team has not claimed the league title nor reached the AFC Champions League final. The only trophy he has won with Al Nassr is the Arab Club Champions Cup in August 2023.
This season, however, could be a different story. Al Nassr currently sit second in the league, just one point behind leaders Al Hilal, and have secured five consecutive wins.
Seven months ago, when Ronaldo renewed his contract, the club posted a short video on social media. The clip ended with him saying "Al Nassr forever" – a line that should have reflected his full satisfaction with the club’s development direction at that time.
