Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of Al Nassr's squad for Friday's 2-0 win over Al Ittihad, marking the second successive game he has been omitted from the matchday squad.
Ronaldo's return to training on Wednesday had raised expectations that his quarrel with Nassr and the Saudi Pro League over transfers had been smoothed over, but his omission from a second consecutive fixture would suggest otherwise.
Neither club nor player have officially commented on the situation, and there is no suggestion that Ronaldo is injured.
Despite his absence, Nassr fans expressed their solidarity, raising yellow signs featuring Ronaldo’s name and his signature No 7 in the seventh minute at Al Awwal Park. Al Nassr ran out 2-0 winners courtesy of a late Sadio Mane penalty and an Angelo Gabriel's added-time effort.
Victory saw Nassr close the gap on Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal to one point.
The Portuguese superstar returned to training with the rest of his teammates on Wednesday, having missed Monday's victory over Al Riyadh. Ronaldo was absent from that match, a 1-0 win, after he reportedly refused to play when learning of Karim Benzema's impending transfer to Hilal hours before the deadline.
According to reports, Ronaldo is angry over what he perceives as the PIF favouring Hilal in the transfer market. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund majority owns Saudi Arabia's 'Big Four' clubs of Hilal, Nassr, Ittihad and Al Ahli.
As well as Benzema, Hilal bolstered their squad with the addition of highly rated young French forward Kader Meite from Stade Rennes for €30 million. Nassr, by contrast, only made one additional signing, Iraqi prospect Hayder Abdulkareem.
Benzema made a sensational debut on Thursday, netting a hat-trick in Hilal's 6-0 win over Al Okhdood.
Ronaldo has already been warned by the Saudi Pro League that “no individual – however significant – determines decisions beyond their own club”.
A league spokesperson said on Thursday: “The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: every club operates independently under the same rules.
“Clubs have their own boards, their own executives and their own football leadership. Decisions on recruitment, spending and strategy sit with those clubs, within a financial framework designed to ensure sustainability and competitive balance. That framework applies equally across the league.
“Cristiano has been fully engaged with Al Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club’s growth and ambition. Like any elite competitor, he wants to win. But no individual – however significant – determines decisions beyond their own club.
“Recent transfer activity demonstrates that independence clearly. One club strengthened in a particular way. Another chose a different approach. Those were club decisions, taken within approved financial parameters.
“The competitiveness of the league speaks for itself. With only a few points separating the top four, the title race is very much alive. That level of balance reflects a system that is working as intended.
“The focus remains on football – on the pitch, where it belongs – and on maintaining a credible, competitive competition for players and fans.”
Transfer funds are understood not to come not from the PIF, but instead from a player acquisition fund.
The fund is overseen by the Saudi Pro League centrally and provides funding for clubs annually based on their size. Nassr, Hilal, Ittihad and Ahli are all believed to have received roughly the same amount before the summer transfer window opened last year.
Nassr spent big in that window, bringing in Joao Felix and Kingsley Coman as well as re-signing Ronaldo on a new deal to June 2027.
That is understood to have used up much of their player acquisition money until they receive their next tranche of cash before the 2026 summer window opens.
Al Hilal’s signing of Benzema was financed separately by a private investor, something which Nassr could also have sought to do but did not.
