Most of us gripe about work when the coffee machine is broken, the boss is breathing down our neck, or the printer jams for the fifth time in a week. Now imagine being paid nearly half a million pounds every day and still walking out in protest.
That is exactly what the world’s richest footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, is doing ahead of Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League clash with local rivals Al-Riyadh on Monday. Despite banking more in a single week than most people will earn in a lifetime – approximately £3.4million – the Portuguese icon has proved that even unimaginable wealth does not guarantee happiness in the workplace.
So, what’s going on in the Saudi capital? According to reports first published in Portugal on Sunday, Ronaldo is on strike over Al-Nassr’s lack of ambition in the transfer market, having grown frustrated at what he sees as a failure to strengthen the squad while domestic rivals continue to spend heavily.
The 40-year-old icon has taken aim specifically at Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which owns a 75 per cent stake in Al-Nassr as well as three of the country’s other football heavyweights – Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli.
Ronaldo, who uttered the words ‘I belong to Saudi Arabia’ when he signed his mega two-year £492m contract extension last summer, believes the other three giants, in particular Al-Hilal, have been bolstered significantly in terms of recruitment while Al-Nassr, unfairly, have been overlooked by the PIF.
His decision to go on strike comes just days after another former Ballon d’Or winner, Karim Benzema, refused to play for Al-Ittihad after receiving what was described as an ‘insulting’ contract offer from the Saudi giants.
Cristiano Ronaldo has gone on strike in Saudi Arabia over his club Al-Nassr’s lack of spending
The Portuguese icon is refusing to play for Al-Nassr against local rivals Al-Riyadh on Monday
The Portuguese icon’s decision comes after Karim Benzema (right) went on strike at Al-Ittihad
The Frenchman is now close to finalising a move to Al-Hilal, who are reportedly prepared to offer him a significantly higher salary.
With both Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal majority-owned by the Public Investment Fund, the episode has shone a spotlight on concerns over financial imbalance at the very top of Saudi Arabian football.
For Ronaldo, who has embraced Middle Eastern culture with both hands and thoroughly enjoyed his lavish life in Saudi Arabia since his 2023 move to Al-Nassr, one frustration remains unresolved – he has still yet to win a domestic trophy.
And while he is on course to become the first footballer in history to score 1,000 career goals if he maintains his current rate, Ronaldo will be a fear his blockbuster switch to Saudi Arabia will be judged a failure if it ends without a single title.
With Al-Nassr sitting three points behind league leaders Al-Hilal, the Portugal international would have hoped to see significant investment in the January transfer window to close the gap on their rivals.
Instead, the club’s only addition has been 21-year-old Iraqi midfielder Haydeer Abdulkareem, while Al-Hilal have splashed a combined £28m on Pablo Mari and Kader Meite and remain in talks to sign both Saimon Bouabre and Benzema.
Since Ronaldo’s historic move to Al-Nassr in January 2023, a transfer that triggered a wave of spending on some of Europe’s biggest names including Benzema, Neymar, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez, Al-Hilal appear to have been treated more favourably by the Public Investment Fund.
During that time, Al-Hilal have splashed out approximately £540m on transfer fees while Al-Nassr have only spent in the region of £350m, with Al-Ahli (£330m) and Al-Ittihad (£290m) further behind.
Cristiano and Georgina are very settled in the Middle East – after purchasing two ultra‑private villas in the exclusive Nujuma Ritz-Carlton Reserve on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast
Ronaldo became football’s first ever billionaire thanks to his two-year £492m Saudi contract
Ronaldo, pictured with his family, embraced life in Saudi Arabia after his 2023 Al-Nassr move
While tensions simmer at Al‑Nassr over footballing direction and investment, the contrast for Ronaldo off the pitch could not be starker as he continues to enjoy life as football’s first billionaire with his partner Georgina Rodriguez and children.
As exclusively reported by Daily Mail Sport in December, the couple recently purchased two ultra‑private villas in the exclusive Nujuma Ritz-Carlton Reserve on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, a retreat accessible only by boat or seaplane and designed for privacy, bespoke service, and serene family time.
The starting point for the villas are £3.1m, although it is unknown exactly how much Ronaldo paid for his two.
Ronaldo and Georgina, 31, who he proposed to earlier this year, are planning to spend a lot of time at the lavish properties with their family.
The former Manchester United star told the Daily Mail: ‘From the moment we first visited, Georgina and I felt a connection with the island and its natural beauty – it’s a place where we feel at peace.
‘Now we have a home here, we can enjoy quality time with family in complete privacy and serenity any time we like.’
At least if his strike at Al-Nassr rumbles on, he can retreat to the luxury of his lavish family life – a world away from football politics and transfer market tensions.
