Cristiano Ronaldo rejoins Al Nassr squad following conclusion of protest

Cristiano Ronaldo has made his return to Al Nassr’s squad for Saturday’s encounter against Al Fateh after missing the club’s previous two matches in the Saudi Pro League.

He was included in the starting lineup as captain, joining fellow forwards João Félix, Sadio Mané, and Kingsley Coman.

According to ESPN, Ronaldo was absent for the fixtures against Al Ittihad and Al Riyadh earlier this month due to dissatisfaction with the club’s financial backing during the recent transfer period.

Ronaldo expressed his discontent with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) for not investing in the team, especially as rivals Al Hilal — which is also 75% majority owned by the PIF — acquired his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad.

However, sources informed ESPN earlier this week that he opted to return to the field for Saturday’s league match after the PIF addressed his primary concerns, specifically the payment of overdue salaries for Al Nassr and the restoration of management autonomy to the club’s senior executives.

Following the onset of his protest, the Saudi Pro League released a statement emphasizing the autonomy of all clubs to manage their finances as they deem appropriate.

“Cristiano has been fully committed to Al Nassr since his arrival and has played a crucial role in the club’s development and aspirations. Like any top competitor, he aims to win. However, no individual — regardless of their importance — influences decisions beyond their own club,” the league stated.

Al Nassr enters Saturday’s match sitting in third place in the league standings, trailing leaders Al Hilal by four points, but with a game in hand.

Ronaldo currently sits three goals behind Ivan Toney in the scoring rankings.

He has netted 17 goals this season in the league, while Al Qadsiah’s Julián Quiñones has 18 and Al Ahli’s Toney leads with 20.