Ronaldo to miss second Al Nassr game amid ongoing strike

2026-02-06 - 17:58

By Adegboyega Adeleye Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature in the second consecutive Al Nassr game after not being included in the matchday squad for the Saudi Pro League fixture against Al Ittihad on Friday. The 41-year-old returned to training with his Al Nassr team-mates this week but was not included in the matchday squad named by boss Jorge Jesus. According to Saudi Pro League officials, Ronaldo’s protest is undermining the image of the league and the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund. The SPL publicly warned the player ahead of Friday’s game. They hoped Ronaldo had made his point by missing Al Nassr’s game against Al Riyadh on Monday, and Friday’s game would be too big for him to miss, as they urged him to return to the pitch. The Portuguese forward feels his club, Al Nassr are not being backed financially as much as their title rivals, Al Hilal. Both clubs are majority owned by The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Ronaldo’s one-man protest continues as he is convinced Al Hilal are getting preferential treatment and he was particularly angry that they strengthened their squad by bringing in players such as Karim Benzema during the January window. The Saudi officials are surprised that Ronaldo, who is the face of the SPL, is unhappy, despite earning a reported £500,000 a day. He has 18 months left on his contract, but it does have a £43m (€50m) summer release clause, even though he turned 41 on Thursday.