Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have become the latest figures in the transfer market and the main actors in the controversy shaking Saudi Arabian football. This all stems from the Frenchman's transfer from Al Ittihad to Al Hilal, a major rival of Al Nassr, Ronaldo's team, in the fight for the Saudi league title. This situation has sparked Ronaldo's rebellion, threatening to leave the country, with many aspects to discuss, putting the Saudi Public Investment Fund in the spotlight.
At 40 years old, Cristiano renewed with Al Nassr in January last year for two seasons at ¤200 million each, with an exit clause in the summer of 2026. He did so based on the trust conveyed by the club's executives that the team could compete for the Saudi league and the Asian Champions League, titles Ronaldo has yet to win since arriving in Riyadh.
However, the situation has since changed. Al Nassr finished third, 13 points behind Benzema's Al Ittihad in the last league race, missing out on a Champions League spot this season, and losing in the AFC semifinals to Kawasaki Frontale, who later lost the final to Al-Ahli. Once again, Ronaldo ended the year without titles.
In the summer, Cristiano expressed concern, prompting Al Nassr to sign players like Joao Félix, Coman, Iñigo Martínez, and Simakan (Leipzig), spending ¤140 million on a team that already had Sadio Mané, formerly of Liverpool. On the field, Al Nassr is neck and neck with Al Hilal, Riyadh's other top club, in the Saudi league. The latter leads the table with just a one-point advantage over Cristiano's team, leading to the move that has shaken Saudi football.
In Jeddah, the second city in Saudi Arabia, Benzema, unhappy with a lower contract renewal offer from Al Ittihad, orchestrated a move to join Al Hilal, the league leaders and favorites for the Asian Champions League title.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund, the third player alongside Cristiano and Benzema in this saga, controls the budgets of the country's four major teams: Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli. These four clubs, sharing the same owner, draw directly from the same financial resources. To prevent Benzema from leaving the Saudi league, Al Hilal offered him a higher salary than Al Ittihad. Benzema, currently seventh in the league and sixth in the Asian Champions League led by Al Hilal, accepted the offer to contend for continental titles, setting up a clash with Cristiano.
Ronaldo has rebelled against this move, refusing to train or play for Al Nassr in protest against the Public Investment Fund. According to sources, Cristiano believes the fund has favored Al Hilal in recent seasons, despite a significant portion of Al Nassr's budget going towards his lucrative contract. The numbers speak for themselves.
¤415 million in five seasons
Over the last five seasons, Al Nassr has spent ¤415 million, while Al Hilal has exceeded ¤600 million in the same period. Benzema now joins a team with Bono, Koulibaly, Theo Hernández, Rubén Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, Malcom, and Darwin Núñez, all under the guidance of elite coach Simone Inzaghi, runner-up in the last Champions League with Inter Milan.
While Al Hilal's management is led by an executive with experience in top European clubs, Spanish Esteve Calzada, the CEO of Al Nassr is José Semedo, a former footballer and friend of Cristiano, signed to please the Portuguese star. However, sources indicate that the club's leadership in Riyadh has lost influence over the PIF, which is no longer allocating as much money to them. Al Nassr has lost two sponsors in recent weeks, facing financial difficulties in the current market.
As Al Hilal secured Benzema and became the second-highest spending team in the winter transfer market, only behind Manchester City, Cristiano's team signed Iraqi player Haider Abdulkarim. In response, Ronaldo immediately went on strike and threatened to leave the club and the country.