Cristiano Ronaldo Breaks Silence After 'Refusing to Play' For Al Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo has broken his silence after reports that he was 'refusing to play' for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.

Ronaldo was not named in the matchday squad for Al Nassr's 1-0 win over Al Riyadh.

Fabrizio Romano reported that the 40-year-old's absence was not injury or fitness-related.

Earlier on Monday, Portuguese outlet A Bola claimed that Ronaldo had complained about the 'lack of investment' at the club.

Al Nassr are one of the four Saudi Pro League clubs controlled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), but Iraqi midfielder Haydeer Abdulkareem has been their only new arrival during the winter window.

According to BBC Sport, the proposed transfer of former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad to Al Hilal - two of the other PIF-owned clubs - was the 'principal reason' for Ronaldo's stance.

Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo pictured in September (Image: Getty)

Benzema reportedly felt 'disrespected' by Al Ittihad after he was offered a contract extension largely based around earnings from image rights, which would have effectively seen him play for free.

That put his move to Al Hilal into motion, with the signing being completed on Monday despite late reports that it could be in doubt.

In his first Instagram post since he was left out of Al Nassr's matchday squad, Ronaldo has appeared to indicate that the saga has at least been partially resolved.

He posted a photo of himself in Al Nassr training kit, along with yellow and blue loveheart emojis - those being the two main colours of Al Nassr's home kit.

Image: Instagram/@cristiano

It was claimed that Ronaldo had effectively 'gone on strike' from the Saudi club but, according to Portuguese outlet Record, he has 'maintained a perfect attendance' at Al Nassr training sessions despite the recent saga.

The 40-year-old signed a new two-year contract extension with Al Nassr last year which will keep him at the club until 2027.

He has already confirmed that he will retire from international football after the 2026 World Cup with Portugal, stating that the tournament - which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico - will be his last as a player.