‘Jokingly’—Karim Benzema’s Message to Cristiano Ronaldo After Stormy Transfer

Al Nassr’s captain has missed the club’s last two matches after Benzema joined rivals Al Hilal.

Karim Benzema (left) infuriated Cristiano Ronaldo with his winter move. | IMAGO/Ali Issa/Fayez NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images

Karim Benzema reportedly teased his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo that he was going to win another Saudi Pro League title after sealing a move to Al Hilal which left Al Nassr’s skipper “furious.”

Ronaldo is thought to have upheld Al Hilal’s ability to sign Benzema from Al Ittihad as the latest example of unfair favoring from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which own all three clubs (and Al Ahli for good measure). While the current Pro League leaders splashed €70.8 million ($84.1 million) in January, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr only added 26-year-old Saudi center forward Abdullah Al-Hamdan.

Ostensibly in protest against his club’s inaction, Ronaldo sat out Al Nassr’s first two matches of February (both of which they won). Benzema, meanwhile, marked his Al Hilal debut with a hat-trick.

Before nabbing the match ball against Al Okhdood, the French Ballon d’Or winner reportedly reached out to his former teammate. Benzema “jokingly” texted Ronaldo that his winter switch would lead to another top-flight title as well as a pay rise, according to The Telegraph.

Having already lost out to Benzema’s Al Ittihad in the race for last season’s Pro League crown, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr are currently trailing his Al Hilal at this year’s summit. As much as reports are at pains to point out that Ronaldo’s “fury” is not directed at Benzema, a reminder of those past failings cannot have been entirely warmly received.

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What Next for Ronaldo, Al Nassr?

Cristiano Ronaldo has not been on the pitch to taunt opponents lately. | Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Up next for Al Nassr is a trip to Turkmenistan to face Arkadag on Wednesday in the AFC Champions League Two, the Asian equivalent of the UEFA Europa League. Ronaldo was spotted by local media in training ahead of the midweek trip yet his involvement is still very much up in the air.

Everything about Al Nassr revolves around Ronaldo. Manager Jorge Jesus returned to Saudi Arabia reportedly on the advise of his compatriot while the club’s sporting director Simão Coutinho and chief executive officer José Semedo are both friends of his from the Sporting CP youth system. Robbing the Saudi solar system of its star will cause some issues.

At 41 and a millstone for any club competing at something approaching the elite level, Ronaldo’s time at the top is surely gone. Based upon Opta’s statistical power rankings, Al Nassr are equivalent in quality to Coventry City and Middlesbrough, the two sides which sit atop the Championship table, England’s second tier.

A move to MLS where he can rekindle his rivalry with Lionel Messi and churn out some more AI slop with President Donald Trump would suit social media’s narrative, but the finances of the league would demand a dramatic pay-cut from Ronaldo.

And so it comes down to a question of priorities: What does Ronaldo want? Given his transfer tantrum, it appears that winning is still abundantly important, while amassing 1,000 goals is another public ambition. Whatever level the goals and trophies come at seems to be of increasingly minimal significance.

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