A new chapter has been added to Al Nassr’s controversial history. Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence from the match against Al Riyadh, opinions on the matter have not ceased.
Although the Portuguese player explained that the reason for his decision was to protest against the Public Investment Fund (PIF) following Karim Benzema’s transfer from Al Ittihad to Al Hilal, the CEO of the Frenchman’s new team explained his position.
Cristiano receives responses from Al-Hilal’s executive director
Websites claim that the Portuguese player disagrees with the recruitment policy of Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, as it appears to disadvantage his team and favor others. “Cristiano believes that PIF is hindering Al Nassr’s signings to prevent the team from winning the title,” says ‘Record’.
However, this controversy took on even greater significance after statements by Esteve Calzada, the CEO of Al-Hilal, who, in conversation with Cadena SER, explained that only CR7 knows the reason for his actions and his reaction to the signing of his former Real Madrid teammate:
“You would have to ask him what’s wrong with him,” Calzada began. “Al Hilal is the most powerful club in Saudi Arabia. We have three sources of financing in terms of signings: merchandising, the government’s program to sign great players, and we have the prince who supports the club to obtain good resources.”
In addition to taking the opportunity to clarify how the institution operates when signing a player, he assured that Al Nassr also had success with Joao Félix and Kingsley Coman in the past summer transfer window.
In addition, the CEO assured that adding a star like Karim Benzema to the team will not only bring his talent with him, but will also be a source of inspiration for his younger teammates:
“We have made a strong commitment to many players beyond Karim, a lot of young Arab talent. We are looking forward to competing for all the titles,” he confessed.
Historically, Benzema was Cristiano’s main partner at Real Madrid, providing him with 47 assists during their time together. Now, in the Saudi league, they have faced each other directly and without any problems, but Karim’s recent signing for Al-Hilal meant that CR7 saw his biggest competitor strengthen its squad with elite stars.
Meanwhile, the club has yet to decide whether to sanction the Portuguese player for his absence from the match against Al Riyadh, as this was not due to injury or a technical decision, but rather a personal protest.
Although CR7 remains the team’s top scorer with 17 goals this season, his immediate future is uncertain and his presence in the key clash against Al-Ittihad on February 6 remains up in the air.
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