Cristiano Ronaldo dumped in Saudi Arabia: "He is not ambassador"

Cristiano Ronaldo is increasingly at the center of the storm in Saudi Arabia. CR7, the cover face not only of the’Al-Nassr but of the entire league, has decided to go on strike after his club&#8217s (which shares ownership with the’Al Hilal) soccer choices. Two matches so far have been missed by the Lusitanian star, who has already ended up at the center of official protests from the Saudi Pro League and meanwhile unceremoniously dumped even by local TV pundits. Particularly one of them, who certainly didn’t mince words and whose words are making the world discuss.

Marco Enzo Venturini

We are talking about Walid Al-Faraj, who was very tough in a live televised speech of his. “Cristiano Ronaldo must understand what his place is – he thundered -. This country is called Saudi Arabia, not Arabia Ronaldo. He is a footballer, but he acts as if he were an ambassador. Instead he is an employee, moreover paid a million-dollar salary and higher than he would receive in any country of Europe. He has turned out to be a disappointment. Just think if a Manchester City or Arsenal player refused to take the field in protest. Such a situation would be inconceivable, in the Premier League”.

Cristiano Ronaldo&#8217s behavior, as mentioned, did not please the Saudi Pro League top brass at all, who have rebuked him harshly through an official statement. “Our league –reads therein –is structured around a simple principle: each club operates independently under the same rules. Clubs have their own boards, their own executives and their own football vision. Decisions on acquisitions, expenditures, and strategies rest with those clubs, within a financial framework designed to ensure sustainability and competitive balance”.

“This framework applies equally to the entire league. Cristiano Ronaldo has been fully involved in Al-Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club’s growth and ambition. Like any elite player, he wants to win. But no individual, no matter how important, determines decisions beyond his own club” Saudi league executives warned.

The’Al-Nassr in this market session signed Abdullah Al-Hamdan and Haydeer Abdulkareem, while the’Al Hilal on the other hand invested a lot to acquire Kader Meïté, Saïmon Bouabré, Murad Al-Hawsawi, Rayan Al-Dossary, Sultan Mandash, Pablo Marí and especially Karim Benzema. The Frenchman arrived for free from’Al Ittihad, but will receive a very high salary.