Saudi League Association responds to Ronaldo’s “rebellion” after his absence from the match between Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad.

The celebration of legend Cristiano Ronaldo’s 41st birthday has turned into an ongoing “rebellion crisis” due to his absence from his team Al Nassr for the second consecutive match in the Saudi Professional Football League (Roshn League).

Although the league title is still up for grabs, Ronaldo chose to escalate; after missing the match against Al Riyadh, he was absent again from the squad list for Friday’s match. This absence, described as “not an injury nor a technical problem,” is seen as an explicit protest against what the player perceives as “bias” in the distribution of major transfers, especially following Karim Benzema’s move from Al Ittihad to the traditional rival Al Hilal.

According to reports, Ronaldo deliberately refused to play in Al Nassr’s match against Al Riyadh last Sunday in protest of how his club is being managed and its failure to strengthen its ranks with strong signings like other clubs.

After Ronaldo returned to training last Wednesday and posted pictures of himself training on his social media accounts, everyone thought the crisis was over. However, his absence from today’s match against Al Ittihad confirms the opposite.

Roshn League Association Responds to Ronaldo’s “Rebellion”

Ronaldo’s absence from the top match against Al Ittihad came hours after firm statements from a spokesperson for the Saudi Professional League Association, responding to the Portuguese star’s “rebellion” against his club. The spokesperson, who preferred to remain anonymous, drew a clear line between the player’s stardom and the independence of sporting decisions, emphasizing that the system is based on the principle of “equality of rules.” The statement read:

“The Saudi Professional League operates on a simple principle: each club operates independently under the same rules. Decisions regarding transfers and spending are made by the clubs themselves, within a financial framework designed to ensure sustainability and competitive balance—a framework that applies to everyone without exception.”

The statements also contained a “firm tone” directed squarely at Ronaldo. While the official praised the player’s historic commitment to Al Nassr, he set a limit on his ambitions to interfere with competitors’ policies, stating: “Like any elite competitor, Cristiano is eager to win, but no one—no matter how famous—has the authority to impose their decisions outside the walls of their own club. Recent moves in the transfer market have proven this independence; each club has chosen its own approach according to its approved financial limits.”

The league association member concluded his strong remarks with an ambiguous sentence whose meaning is unclear: “Everything is still possible.”

The coming days will reveal whether the “Madeira Missile” will submit to the rules of the Saudi League and his club, or if this strike is the beginning of the end of his journey in Saudi stadiums.