Why did Benzema force Cristiano Ronaldo to stop playing for Al Nassr? Saudi Pro League crisis explained.

Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to play for Al Nassr in their latest Saudi Pro League clash against Al-Riyadh. With the title race heating up and Ronaldo in an age-defying form, his refusal to play for Al Nassr has nothing to do with injuries or suspensions, but rather years of mounting frustration finally having an outburst. 

Let us unravel all the reasons that contributed to the ‘Ronaldo-crisis’ at Al Nassr.

1. Karim Benzema’s Transfer to Al Hilal

The news of CR7’s refusal to play for Al Nassr in their match against Al-Riyadh was made public through portuguese newspaper known as A Bola a few days ago. It said Cristiano Ronaldo decided to stop featuring for Al Nassr due to an internal fallout. 

Days later, most of the prominent news outlets confirmed it, and BBC Sport reported that it was Karim Benzema’s transfer to Al Hilal was the moment that made Cristiano Ronaldo furious.

1.1 Cristiano and Karim Benzema: From Friends to Foes?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema always had a cordial working relationship. Their bonding began way back in 2009 when Florentino Perez signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United and Benzema from Olympique Lyonnais to kick start the new ‘Galáctico-era’ at Real Madrid. 

Together they won 4x UEFA Champions League, 2x La Liga, 2x Copa Del Rey, 2x Supercopa de España, 3x UEFA Super Cup, and 3x FIFA Club World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo won 4x Ballon D’Ors and 3x European Golden Boots individually, and Karim Benzema was his major partner in crime.

Although Karim Benzema was a No.9 striker at Real Madrid, he always provided Ronaldo with 44 assists and supported Ronaldo in his transition from a winger to a solid No.9 striker. Benzema grabbed the spotlight when CR7 left for Juventus. He was the talisman of Carlo Ancelotti’s 2021/22 UCL-winning team and went on to win the Ballon D’Or that year.

Cristiano Ronaldo also provided Benzema with 29 assists and congratulated him well when Benzema won his much-deserved Ballon D’Or. The cordiality of their relationship doesn’t end there. 

Benzema followed CR7 to Saudi Arabia in 2023 when the Saudi Pro League revamped and expanded. When Ronaldo became the face of Al Nassr and Neymar with Al Hilal, Benzema was the face of Al Ittihad. Benzema went on to win the Saudi Pro League and King’s Cup with Ittihad in 2024/25. 

There is no evidence of any personal or professional fallout between Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. The current issue has nothing to do with them as individuals or professionals but rather a management problem. 

1.2 Why Would Benzema’s Transfer Infuriate Ronaldo?

Cristiano’s frustration is not aimed at Karim Benzema as a player or person but rather against a system. Before Cristiano Ronaldo, it was Karim Benzema who was on strike against Al Ittihad management and forced his move out of the club.

According to Sacha Tavolieri, transfer news specialist, Benzema and his camp found Al Ittihad’s new offer without any base salary and heavily relied on image rights extremely disrespectful. Tavolieri reported that Benzema could be on his way back to France, to join a Ligue 1 club.

Al Hilal acted swiftly and managed to retain the French superstar in the Saudi League, thereby strengthening their squad. This move particularly did not sit well with Cristiano Ronaldo and his entourage because Cristiano believes Al Nassr squandered its chance to revamp the squad in the winter market. 

Haydeer Abdulkareem, a 21-year-old midfielder from Iraq, was the only signing Al Nassr made in January. Since Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr in 2023, the team has never won a major trophy, and CR7 believes it is because of the preferential treatment of the owners, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), according spanish news outlet MARCA.

1. What is the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF)? How many Clubs do PIF own?

PIF is Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and a major state investment vehicle that invests domestically and internationally to support the country’s economic transformation under Vision 2030.

PIF holds a controlling 75% stake in 4 clubs, often referred to as the league’s “PIF-backed” clubs. The remaining 25% in each club is held by a non-profit foundation structure.

2.1 PIF-controlled clubs in the Saudi Pro League

2.2 Ownership landscape in the Saudi Pro League

The Saudi Pro League features several clubs with significant backing, most notably those with controlling stakes from the Public Investment Fund (PIF) - Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli, each holding a 75% stake. 

Other clubs also have notable ownership, such as Al-Qadsiah, which is owned by Saudi Aramco, Neom SC, owned by NEOM, and Al-Kholood, owned by Harburg Group. 

For the remainder of the league, ownership often involves a combination of club foundations, traditional structures, and evolving privatisation arrangements, but this information is not always found in a single, consistently updated official list.

3. Are Ronaldo’s claims about PIF favouring Al Hilal over Al Nassr True?

Ronaldo was offered a billion-dollar deal upon his move to Al Nassr in 2023. Unlike Benzema, there are no reports of CR7 being disrespected on a professional level in financial terms, infact its quite the opposite, PIF and Al Nassr have treated Cristiano Ronaldo well. 

However, data from Transfermarkt clearly shows that Ronaldo’s frustration is clearly justified as Al Hilal were given more financial resources than Al Nassr.

Al Hilal is the most dominant force in the Saudi Pro League, and Al Nassr always fallen short of Al Hilal as per the stats since 2023.

Head-to-Head Stats since January 2023

Trophy Comparison since January 2023

H2H totals before Ronaldo’s arrival (competitive matches)

The Ronaldo signing was supposed to put an end to Al Hilal's dominance and start a new era for Al Nassr. However, the story has been the same, and Ronaldo, who is known for his unyielding winner mentality, simply cannot accept being on the losing side. So his frustration is quite understandable and, to a certain extent, justified too.

4. What is the future for Ronaldo, Al Nassr, and the Saudi Pro League?

If Cristiano Ronaldo were to keep refusing to play for Al Nassr, it would create loud short-term headlines and uncertainty, hurting match-day buzz and global perception, yet it wouldn’t “break” the Saudi Pro League because the league’s long-term growth is bigger than one star.

The real damage would be reputational, making the league look unstable or overly star-dependent, while the likely response would be to resolve the situation quickly, strengthen governance and squad-planning, and spread marketing and football quality across more clubs/players so the product isn’t hostage to one dispute.

Let’s hope this dispute is quickly resolved, and we can see Ronaldo playing and scoring in their next match against Al Ittihad on 06 February 2026. Also, don’t miss out on Karim Benzema’s debut in Al Hilal’s blue against Al Ettifaq on 13 February 2026. You can now buy or sell your tickets on best prices at 1BoxOffice.