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Ronaldo’s absence from the Club World Cup highlights surprising tensions and decisions within Saudi Arabia’s ambitious football project.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be nowhere near the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Wednesday when Al Hilal faces Real Madrid in a mouthwatering Club World Cup clash.
And that, despite the might of Saudi Arabia’s football project and even FIFA’s open willingness to make it happen, says everything about the shifting but still complex power dynamics in global soccer.
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The idea was bold: sign Ronaldo to a short-term deal just for the Club World Cup. With his contract at Al-Nassr expiring and a newly created transfer window by FIFA, the logistics were not an issue.
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Yet even the influence of FIFA president Gianni Infantino was not enough to bring the five-time Ballon d’Or winner back into the spotlight of the global tournament.
“If any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup …,” Infantino teased during an interview with YouTuber iShowSpeed, signaling an unusual, if not desperate, openness to see the Portuguese legend involved.
Rivalries and Respect Block the Move
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Speculation immediately turned to Al Hilal, the Saudi Pro League’s most successful team and the country’s sole representative at the reimagined Club World Cup.
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But a stumbling block emerged – Al Hilal and Ronaldo’s former club, Al-Nassr, are fierce Riyadh rivals, even if both are backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
“As much as I respect Ronaldo as a huge player, as we all recognize he is, it’s certainly completely counter-intuitive that you bring the biggest player of your biggest opponent to play with you,” said Al Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada to the BBC.
“Even more when it’s only for three to four weeks.”
Despite Saudi Arabia’s willingness to bend reality with its boundless resources — and its recent history of impossible sports deals becoming reality — this particular line could not be crossed.
Even a short-term alliance was a bridge too far for the kingdom’s football ambitions.
A Bigger Game Than Just Ronaldo
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Saudi Arabia's ambitions in global sport are well-documented and far-reaching.
From revolutionizing golf with LIV to turning itself into a go-to destination for elite boxing and tennis events, the kingdom has spent lavishly to assert itself as a global sports hub.
Its soccer push has been even more spectacular, crowned by winning the bid to host the 2034 World Cup and acquiring Premier League mainstay Newcastle United.
More recently, its financial fingerprints are all over the Club World Cup – from its $1 billion investment in broadcaster DAZN to a reported $1 billion prize pot created through a partnership with FIFA. It is no surprise that Saudi Arabia viewed this tournament as its latest chance to showcase itself.
And yet, curiously, Al Hilal was not armed with a new marquee player for the tournament. Brazilian star Neymar was released in January following a major injury, and attempts to lure Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Victor Osimhen, and Darwin Nunez fell short. The only major signing made was on the touchline.
“The club is working in order to improve the team, and I believe this will be done. Now it’s pointless to talk about market because the market is closed,” said coach Simone Inzaghi, who left Inter Milan to become arguably the most high-profile coach in the Saudi Pro League.
Old Money vs. New Power
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“My ambition, the ambition of the club, is to try to grow more, to try to make Al Hilal become one of the best football clubs,” Inzaghi added.
“I believe the time has come to get out of my comfort zone.”
Cristiano Ronaldo may not be part of this latest chapter, but the impact he made by arriving in Saudi Arabia in 2022 continues to ripple through the sport.
His absence at the Club World Cup is striking — but it also highlights how far Saudi Arabia has come in global football, and how much further it still plans to go.
“Sometimes we just focus on what’s going on in Europe, and we think there’s nothing else beyond Europe. We’re too focused on Europe,” said Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, in a nod to the shifting landscape.
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