Cristiano Ronaldo Stays At Al-Nassr After Resolving Dispute With Club Leadership

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Cristiano Ronaldo states that life at Al-Nassr suits Ronaldo and that staying with the club is the clear plan, despite a recent dispute with the ownership. The forward has returned to form in the Saudi Pro League, scoring key goals while Al-Nassr move back to the top.

Ronaldo struck in a 2-0 victory over Al-Fateh, then scored twice in a 4-0 win against Al-Hazem that lifted Al-Nassr to first place. During that Al-Hazem match, Ronaldo registered a 500th goal scored after turning 30, while Al-Hilal’s dropped points against Al-Ittihad left a one-point gap.

Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United, then agreed a two-year contract extension in June, tying the Portugal captain to the Saudi Pro League beyond the original deal. Al-Nassr are among four clubs controlled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, along with Al-Ittihah, Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal.

Al-Hilal strengthened their squad in January by signing Karim Benzema, and now provide Al-Nassr’s closest challenge in the title race. Despite that pressure, Al-Nassr currently hold a narrow lead in the Saudi Pro League table, standing one point ahead after overtaking Al-Hilal when Al-Hilal dropped points against Al-Ittihad.

The recent controversy emerged earlier this month when Ronaldo, now 41, missed two league matches against Al-Riyadh and Al-Ittihad. Reports indicated that Ronaldo felt disappointed with Al-Nassr’s hierarchy, believing the January transfer window passed without enough investment and viewing that as a lack of ambition from the club’s leadership.

That disagreement led to Ronaldo sitting out those fixtures, but the situation eased before the Al-Fateh game. Ronaldo returned to the starting side, quickly scoring again and helping to restore Al-Nassr’s momentum in the Saudi Pro League, while also underlining the importance of competing strongly for this season’s title.

During an interview with Saudi broadcaster Thmanyah, Ronaldo underlined support for the club and the league. "I'm very happy, Ronaldo told Saudi broadcaster Thmanyah. As I say so many times, I belong to Saudi Arabia."

Ronaldo explained that the move to the region has worked for both professional and personal life. "It's a country that has welcomed me very well, and my family and my friends. I'm happy here, I want to continue here. The most important thing is we keep pushing [for the league title], we are there at the top. We do our job, we win, create pressure. Let's see at the end of the season."

Recent weeks show that Ronaldo remains central to Al-Nassr’s title push in the Saudi Pro League, combining personal milestones with important results for the team. With Al-Hilal and Karim Benzema close behind, Al-Nassr’s one-point advantage leaves little margin, but Ronaldo’s goals continue to shape the club’s position.