If you haven\u2019t been following the ongoing saga surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and the Saudi Pro League, now\u2019s a good time to get on board.<\/p>\n
Ronaldo missed his second-straight game over the weekend and it was, reportedly, a decision entirely of his own choosing, sitting out the clash with Al Ittihad following his boycott of a match against Al Riyadh. <\/p>\n
Why would a 41-year-old who remains as obsessed with winning as my six-year-old son choose to sit out two games for his club at a crucial stage of the season?<\/p>\n
As it turns out, it\u2019s to prove a point \u2013 namely, that he feels his club, Al Nassr, haven\u2019t been getting treated as well (and by that, we mean they haven\u2019t had as much money to spend) as some of the other clubs in the Pro League that are also majority-owned by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF).<\/p>\n
Reports speculate that it was the move of his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad to Al Hilal that triggered the Portuguese\u2019s frustration <\/p>\n
The PIF has a stake in four teams in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo\u2019s Al Nassr being one of them, but the league insisted in a statement that all of those clubs are independent and make their own choices surrounding matters such as transfer strategies.<\/p>\n
In a rare slapdown for Ronaldo, who has generally been very positive about his experience in the Saudi kingdom, the league went on to issue a direct rebuke of the Portuguese superstar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: Every club operates independently under the same rules,\u201d the league said.<\/p>\n
\u201cClubs 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement continued: \u201cCristiano has been fully engaged with Al Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club\u2019s growth and ambition. <\/p>\n
\u201cLike any elite competitor, he wants to win. But no individual \u2014 however significant \u2014 determines decisions beyond their own club.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecent 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al Nassr are currently second, a point behind Al Hilal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe competitiveness of the league speaks for itself,\u201d the league said. \u201cWith 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe focus remains on football \u2014 on the pitch, where it belongs \u2014 and on maintaining a credible, competitive competition for players and fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the PIF ownes those four clubs, funds for transfers comes from a \u201cplayer acquisition fund\u201d which is overseen by the Saudi Pro League. ESPN reports that the \u2018big four\u2019 of Al Nassr, Al HIlal, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli are received similar amounts before the transfer window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sitting out games won\u2019t help his quest for the mythical mark of 1,000 career goals. Although, if Ronaldo listens to the advice of his former club teammate Roberto Carlos, he\u2019ll have eternity to reach that target.<\/p>\n
\u201cCristiano can\u2019t stop, ever. If he ever decides to stop playing, I\u2019ll call him and tell him not to stop,\u201d he quipped to O Jogo.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s one of those players who represent a lot, both for clubs and for the national team, for children, for younger players. He should never stop playing football, even if it\u2019s just with one leg or crawling. He transmits a lot of strength and energy to any boy who wants to start.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you haven\u2019t been following the ongoing saga surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and the Saudi Pro League, now\u2019s a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467616,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[36457,64,63,36456,596,5248,85],"class_list":["post-467615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-al-nassr","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cristiano-ronaldo","tag-football","tag-saudi-pro-league","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}