Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has broken a days-long public silence following reports he went on strike at his club, Al-Nassr.
The 40-year-old forward took to social media to post a photograph of himself in training at the club, captioning it only with two heart emojis in Al-Nassr’s colors of yellow and blue, a simple gesture aimed at quelling speculation about his future and commitment.
This social media activity marks Ronaldo’s first direct response to a growing controversy that has captivated the Saudi Pro League.
The situation erupted earlier this week when Ronaldo made himself unavailable for Al-Nassr’s 1-0 league victory over Al-Riyadh on Monday.
Sources close to the player indicate his absence was a deliberate protest against the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund that owns a majority stake in Al-Nassr and three other top Saudi clubs.
Ronaldo is reportedly frustrated by what he perceives as a lack of significant investment in Al-Nassr’s squad compared to their direct title rivals, particularly Al-Hilal.
While Al-Nassr’s only January signing was young Iraqi midfielder Haydeer Abdulkareem, league leaders Al-Hilal secured five new players, headlined by the stunning deadline-day acquisition of former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad.
The timing of Benzema’s move, which strengthens Al-Nassr’s closest competitor, is seen as a key catalyst for Ronaldo’s drastic action. “I believe 100 percent in my words, and the people that play in this league know what I am talking about. This is why I want to stay, because I believe in the project,” Ronaldo said last summer upon signing a new contract with Al-Nassr, a deal that tied him to the club until at least 2027.
That belief now appears tested. Club manager Jorge Jesus had previously voiced his own hopes for squad reinforcements, acknowledging the “financial situation at Al-Nassr is not good and doesn’t allow it”.
The disparity in spending has reportedly led Ronaldo to feel the PIF-backed league title race is no longer a fair fight. Al-Hilal’s CEO, Esteve Calzado, when asked about the Ronaldo situation, deflected, stating, “You should ask him. We are focusing on ourselves,” before expressing his thrill at securing a “Ballon d’Or winner, with a spectacular talent” like Benzema.
Despite the training post, uncertainty persists over when Ronaldo will return to competitive action. Some reports suggest he may miss a second consecutive match when Al-Nassr faces Al-Ittihad on Friday.
Further reports indicate Ronaldo has threatened to seek a departure from the club in June if he does not receive concrete assurances about Al-Nassr’s sporting ambitions and management structure.
The internal dispute has drawn criticism from outside observers, with former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy branding Ronaldo’s strike as “self-indulgent nonsense,” arguing that for players of such immense wealth to complain about club funding is “almost unthinkable”.
For the Saudi Pro League, which has built its global profile around high-profile signings like Ronaldo, the public discord involving its most famous ambassador presents an unexpected crisis.
The controversy has shifted focus away from a gripping three-way title race and onto questions of governance and equity among the PIF-owned clubs.