Cristiano Ronaldo’s place on beautiful Man Utd return revealed after Saudi fallout
Cristiano Ronaldo refused to play for Al-Nassr in their 1-0 victory over Al-Riyadh on Monday after being left furious with the Saudi Pro League after Al-Hilal signed Karim Benzema on transfer deadline day
Cristiano Ronaldo has gone on strike at Al-Nassr(Image: Yasser Bakhsh, Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s future has been thrown into the spotlight following his controversial strike in Saudi Arabia. The Portuguese superstar, who celebrates his 41st birthday on Thursday, refused to feature for Al-Nassr in their 1-0 triumph over Al-Riyadh on Monday after being incensed by Karim Benzema’s switch to championship contenders Al-Hilal.
Benzema, who shared the pitch with Ronaldo at Real Madrid, saw his Al-Ittihad deal cancelled before securing a free move to Al-Hilal, who sit just one point ahead of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Saudi Pro League.
Yet all three sides fall under the ownership of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), leaving Ronaldo seething that the transfer was approved, as he believes Al-Hilal’s championship ambitions have been unfairly strengthened by landing the French forward.
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The drama has ignited rumours about whether Ronaldo will complete the remaining 18 months of his £488,000-per-day deal with Al-Nassr. So might the five-time Ballon d’Or champion make a sensational return for a third stint at Manchester United? Not a chance, according to his former teammate Wes Brown.
Ex-United defender Brown revealed to BettingLounge: “He’s not happy but would Cristiano Ronaldo come back to Manchester United for a third go? I would say no
“I can’t see how that could happen. A move to MLS? Maybe. Maybe he goes back to Portugal and plays there. I’m sure he will still have so many options.
“The main thing is that he still wants to play in the World Cup and we would have to keep playing and making sure he keeps himself fit to do that.
“It’s a shock to everyone to see Ronaldo on strike but I honestly think it will get resolved. We’ll have to wait and see where it goes from here.”
Neither Ronaldo nor any of his teammates and coaches have spoken publicly since Monday’s victory. Boss Jorge Jesus had his post-match press conference scrapped whilst their squad were instructed not to engage with reporters.
Al-Nassr are next in action on Friday, welcoming Al-Ittihad, with Ronaldo’s involvement uncertainty. Meanwhile, Al-Hilal will take on bottom side Al-Akhdoud at home.
The table-toppers have offered Al-Nassr a glimmer of hope in recent weeks, drawing their three previous games. A slip-up against Al-Akhdoud would present Al-Nassr with the opportunity to claim pole position, having last secured the championship in 2019, well before Ronaldo’s switch from United in 2022.
