Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines around the world, and not because of his brilliant plays, but because he refused to play for several matches with his club Al Nassr. Although the exact reasons were never fully clarified, he received support from rival coach Jorge Jesus.
However, the strike carried out by the Portuguese forward came to an end, and he returned for the match against Al-Fateh, which his team lost 2-0. In the postgame press conference, the coach of the winning side shared his thoughts about the finances of the club connected to the controversy.
Jorge Jesus shares his thoughts on Al Hilal and Cristiano Ronaldo
Veteran and experienced manager Jorge Jesus, still enjoying the taste of victory, spoke about the financial situation at Al Hilal, a club he previously managed. He discussed the economic muscle at their disposal.
I’ve already been at Al Hilal. I’ve been on the other side, so I know what that’s like. I’ve already benefited from it. They have more economic power. When I was there, I benefited as a coach. It’s normal. Al-Nassr, with different resources, has to compete for the top spots. We have to continue to be strong. That’s why I was hired, to reduce the gap between Al Hilal and Al-Nassr, in terms of titles and points.
And that’s what we’re doing. We have a lot of confidence in Al-Nassr’s structure, a structure that, little by little, is increasingly managing to balance the group. But not only the group of players who play, but also a group off the field, a team that is aware of the difficulties, a team that knows it will be fighting against opponents with greater economic power, not sporting power
The coach told ESPN and added:
We are in the championship fight, we are one point behind the leaders, something Al-Nassr hasn’t been able to do. In recent years, Al-Nassr has finished 16 or 14 points behind the lead. This year we don’t want that to happen, I don’t know what will happen. We are confident that we can compete for the top spots until the end.
Jorge Jesus’ time with Al Hilal
During his tenure at Al Hilal, Jorge Jesus was a consistent winner. He remained with the club until their defeat against Al-Ahli in the semifinal of the previous AFC Champions League campaign.
After being dismissed from Al Hilal, he quickly found work with Al Nassr, where he led the team to ten consecutive victories at the start of the 2026 season.
Part of the issue behind Ronaldo’s strike was a perceived discrepancy in spending power between Al Hilal and his own side. The necessary signings were not made to strengthen the squad.
Now that Ronaldo has returned to action with Al Nassr and scored, he left a message for his supporters.
Another step forward. Let’s keep going.
CR7 felt his team lacked the resources to build a truly competitive roster, which led to his protest. Now, however, he is back on the field, focused on helping his side compete for the title.
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