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Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo missed his second consecutive match for Al Nassr on Friday, with reports linking his absence to an ongoing dispute involving the Saudi Pro League and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The 41-year-old Portuguese forward has not featured since Al Nassr’s 2-0 win over Al Ittihad and was also unavailable for Monday’s victory against Al Riyadh.
While the club had expected their star striker to return, international media suggested Ronaldo remained unhappy over unfulfilled promises regarding changes to Al Nassr’s management structure.
Speculation around his absence had already surfaced earlier in the week, with some reports pointing to frustration over the club’s activity, or lack thereof, in the January transfer window.
Ronaldo was reportedly disappointed by the level of support provided to strengthen the squad, particularly after his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema joined rivals Al Ittihad.
Despite the uncertainty, Al Nassr supporters made their feelings clear at Al-Awwal Park. In a show of loyalty, fans raised yellow placards bearing Ronaldo’s name and iconic No. 7 during the seventh minute of the match.
Amid the growing narrative, the Saudi Pro League released a firm statement on Thursday, stressing that no individual player holds influence beyond his own club.
“The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: every club operates independently under the same rules,” the statement read.
On the pitch, Al Nassr continued their strong run, climbing to second place in the standings with their latest win, just one point behind leaders Al Hilal.
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