Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to play for Al-Nassr in their match against Al-Riyadh on Monday, reportedly furious with the club's lack of spending on transfers. The Portuguese star's decision marks a rare instance where he has not got what he wanted, leading to what has been described as a 'strike'.
Ronaldo's frustration was triggered by Karim Benzema's move from Al-Ittihad to Al-Hilal, both clubs owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) alongside Al-Nassr. Ronaldo is said to be seething that Al-Hilal have been allowed to spend £180 million more than his club since the start of 2022, especially as they lead the Pro-League by a single point.
The 39-year-old has yet to win a league title in Saudi Arabia since his arrival. While he may have a point about the disparity in spending, critics highlight the staggering lack of self-awareness given Al-Nassr are paying him an astonishing £488,000 per day.
Ronaldo's career has been marked by getting his way, from persuading Sir Alex Ferguson to sell him to Real Madrid to engineering a lucrative return to Manchester United. He also secured a contract termination at United before landing a mind-boggling deal with Al-Nassr, making him football's first billionaire.
