Cristiano Ronaldo was pictured back in training with his Saudi Pro League side, Al-Nassr, despite being on strike.
The 41-year-old football superstar had sent shockwaves through the wealthy gulf state by refusing to play and his participation in the upcoming match against Al-Ittihad is not certain.
Ronaldo, who earns an astronomical £488,000-a-day, is understood to be unhappy with the recruitment at his club and thinks the Saudi backers are giving their rivals preferential treatment.
But the Portuguese forward was seen working out on the pitch in a training session under the watchful eye of manager Jorge Jesus in a hint that he could return to the fold having previously trained away.
Ronaldo shared pictures of himself training with his 671million followers.
He included a couple of blue and yellow heart emojis (the club’s colours) but refrained from sharing a caption.
Cristiano Ronaldo shared this image of himself back training with Al-Nassr
Ronaldo, pictured training in front of manager, Jorge Jesus has been on strike
Ronaldo, who is the biggest name and marketing centre-piece of the Saudi Pro League, is currently expected to boycott his second game in succession.
He is said to want a concrete guarantee that the PIF will make changes to the way his side is run. Karim Benzema recently completed a controversial switch from Al-Ittihad to Al-Hilal, marking a bitter blow for Ronaldo.
Ronaldo played no part in the game against Al-Riyadh but it would be another step up in magnitude if he chose to boycott the Al-Ittihad game.
Al-Nassr are currently second in the table, just one point behind Al-Hilal and 12 points ahead of their next opponents.
Ronaldo has reportedly been aggrieved that Al-Hilal have a net spend £180million higher than that of his own team since the 2022-23 season, when he arrived.
They are on course to hoover up a second league title in three years while Ronaldo remains without a major trophy in the Middle East.
After Monday’s match, Al-Nassr’s chiefs banned manager Jorge Jesus or any players from speaking out amid the tense situation onset by Ronaldo’s protests, as per Portuguese outlet A Bola.
During the January window, the only player signed by Al-Nassr was 21-year-old Iraqi midfielder Haydeer Abdulkareem, while Al-Hilal have lured Spanish centre back Pablo Mari for £1.7m and spent a further £26m on Rennes forward Kader Meite.
Ronaldo is furious about what he deems to be a lack of financial backing for his side
Simone Inzaghi’s side also finalised another £26m move for Neom star Saimon Bouabre.
Last month, Al-Nassr boss Jorge Jesus called out the financial inequality and argued that Al-Nassr ‘does not have the political power of Al-Hilal’, a team he previously managed.
If no resolution can be found, the situation could rapidly deteriorate and Ronaldo may ask to leave, with the MLS his most likely destination.
He will also be desperate to stay sharp and arrive in the best possible condition to help Portugal at the World Cup in the US in the summer.
Meanwhile, Benzema’s case is a startling example of the Saudi moneybags being told to reach deeper into their pockets by one of their prized players.
ESPN reported that the 38-year-old trained away from the group at Al-Ittihad in protest over an ‘insulting’ contract extension offer on Thursday last week.
He removed himself from the matchday squad which drew 2-2 at Al-Fateh last week, and within four days became an Al-Hilal player.
The striker had moved to Al-Ittihad in 2023 in a blockbuster deal that put his salary at £1.61million per week – or just over £230,000 per day.
Curiously, the Benzema is believed to have accused the club of making him ‘play for free’ at the start of the contract, with the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner only able to profit from his image rights.
Ronaldo and Benzema were highly decorated team-mates at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018, when the former left for Juventus.
