The biggest story out of the recently concluded transfer window is Karim Benzema's move from Al Ittihad to Saudi Pro League rivals Al Hilal.
Actually, that's not quite true. The biggest story is Cristiano Ronaldo's reaction to it.
Signing Benzema just hours before the deadline is a major coup for the Pro League leaders. The French striker is still among the best centre-forwards in world football, and joins a team already brimming with attacking talent.
According to multiple reports, Ronaldo was so incensed by the transfer that he refused to play in Al Nassr's Monday night match against Al Riyadh.
Ronaldo's frustration, the reports say, stems from what he perceives as a bias towards Hilal by the PIF, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund that majority owns Nassr, Ittihad, Al Ahli and Hilal.
Al Nassr added Iraqi prospect Hayder Abdulkareem to their squad in January, much to the disappointment of coach Jorge Jesus.
A 1-0 win over Al Riyadh, coupled with Hilal's 0-0 draw against Al Ahli, leaves Nassr trailing the league leaders by a point.
Former teammates
No one – not even Lionel Messi – comes close to Ronaldo's goalscoring exploits.
The Portuguese striker, 40, has 961 career goals; few doubt that he will reach the milestone of 1,000. He is La Liga's all-time top scorer with 311 goals among a total of 450 goals for Real Madrid, also a record for the most decorated club in world football.
Benzema was a teammate of Ronaldo's at Madrid from 2009 to 2018, eventually following Ronaldo's path to Saudi Arabia in 2023, joining Jeddah club Al Ittihad.
His 354 goals for Madrid (238 in La Liga) pale in comparison, but his 25 trophies dwarf Ronaldo's 15, although he did spend an extra four seasons at the Bernabeu.
Move to Saudi Arabia
Cast your mind back to New Year's Day 2023, and the breaking news that ruptured football's fabric. Al Nassr, a giant of Saudi football but relatively unknown to a wider audience, announced that Ronaldo would be joining them.
Ronaldo was a free agent, with Manchester United terminating his contract following public criticism of the club and then manager Erik ten Hag. Already one of the world's wealthiest sports stars, Ronaldo would sign a two-and-a-half-year deal that would make him the best-paid footballer in history.
Where Ronaldo trod, others would follow. Benzema headed an all-star cast to join the Saudi Pro League revolution six months later, signing for Al Ittihad as the reigning Ballon d'Or.
Like Ronaldo, he was handed the club captaincy, the totem of a team looking to end the domestic dominance of Al Hilal. In 2024/25, Benzema and his teammates did just that, winning the league-and-cup double.
That is two more trophies than Ronaldo has won in his three years at Nassr, save for the lightly regarded Arab Club Champions Cup.
Ronaldo has won wherever he has gone, but the title continues to elude and frustrate him in Riyadh.
Goals
While the trinkets are missing, the goals have come at a click. Ronaldo has netted 111 goals in 127 matches for Nassr (117 in 133 including goals and games in the Arab Club Champions Cup) and is nine shy of a century of goals in the Saudi Pro League. No other player in history has reached 100-plus goals in four countries in history.
Benzema's goal return is also impressive. The Frenchman, 38, has bagged 54 goals in 83 matches.
This term, Ronaldo has scored 18 times, including 17 in the league. Benzema's tally of 16 goals has been more split, with eight league goals and four each in the King's Cup and AFC Champions League.
Trophy collection
Benzema and Ronaldo are two of the most decorated players in modern history.
Both were serial trophy collectors at all their previous clubs, but it is Benzema who has bragging rights when it comes to domestic titles in Saudi Arabia. Widen that lens and Benzema still retains the upper hand.
During spells at Lyon (France), Real Madrid (Spain) and Ittihad, and the French national team, Benzema has won 35 team titles. Ronaldo's 31 trophies have come playing for Sporting (Portugal), Manchester United (England, twice), Juventus (Italy) and Nassr, though he has failed to win any at his first and last clubs. He has won three titles with Portugal, including the 2016 European Championship.
One award definitely swinging Ronaldo's way is the Ballon d'Or. He has five awards compared to Benzema's one.
