Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Clear Decision on Long-Term Al Nassr Future

Ronaldo hasn’t held back in his views on Al Nassr’s transfer strategy.

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) has looked to clear things up. | Fayez NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo has seemingly ended speculation over his Al Nassr future by declaring that he “belongs” to Saudi Arabia.

The transfer of Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema, to Al Hilal irked the 41-year-old so much that he went on strike at Al Nassr, in protestation at what he perceived to be a lack of ambition from his club.

Toni Kroos took sides with Ronaldo, saying Al Nassr’s actions were “disrespectful” towards a player some consider to be the greatest of all time, but he eventually ended his three-game strike and agreed to return to action—inevitably, he did so by scoring 18 minutes into the clash with Al Fateh.

“I’m very happy,” is what Ronaldo told Saudi broadcaster Thmanyah this weekend. “As I say so many times, I belong to Saudi Arabia. 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, make pressure, let’s see at the end of the season.”

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Does Ronaldo Mean What He Says?

Back where we belong. Now back to work! 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/25cSiRvx3a

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) February 21, 2026

Ronaldo’s outrage at Al Hilal signing Benzema was no flash in the pan. A serial winner wherever he’s been in his illustrious career, the Portuguese legend has been unable to bring the same success to Al Nassr, despite playing alongside the lines of Sadio Mané, Marcelo Brozović, Kingsley Coman and fellow countryman João Felix.

Instead, Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid stable mate Benzema has won the Saudi Pro League title with Al Ittihad, and could now do the same with Al Hilal if they’re able to keep up their unbeaten record which has so far spanned 22 games.

It’s an incredibly tight title race, though, with just two points separating Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ahli—another one of the league’s PIF-financed clubs. Things are so close because Al Hilal have dropped six points in their last five games, allowing Al Nassr, who have gone perfect in their last five outings, to leapfrog them at the top of the table.

Crucially, Al Nassr have a better goal difference than Al Hilal, but the signing of Benzema has only improved the latter’s chances of winning the league—obviously, that doesn’t sit well with Ronaldo.

Ronaldo’s annoyance will bubble back up to the surface if a) Al Nassr don’t go on to lift the Saudi Pro League title and b) they don’t heavily invest in the squad this summer—although whether or not you can deem €409 million ($482 million) worth of investment since 2023–24, Ronaldo’s first season in Saudi Arabia, as an underspend is a question for another day.

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Ronaldo’s Options If He Changes His Mind

Cristiano Ronaldo’s likely to stay put, even if his frustration resurfaces. | Waleed Zein/Anadolu/Getty Images

Ronaldo is contracted to Al Nassr for another year, meaning any interested party would have to pay a transfer fee to get him out of Saudi Arabia or he’d need to agree to mutually terminate his contract.

At this stage of Ronaldo’s career—he’ll be 42 in February next year—his chances of moving back to one of Europe’s top five leagues are all but over. Extraordinary wages, signing-on fees and all sorts of other payments are immediate red flags, as well as the fact that he’s, well, almost 42.

Swanning off to MLS to join Lionel Messi is one possibility, but the aforementioned factors would still apply even to the richest of the clubs. The more likely scenario is that Ronaldo looks to cement his legend in Saudi Arabia by winning the title with Al Nassr, and has one last go at winning the World Cup with Portugal before slowing coming to terms with the fact that retirement is on the horizon.

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