Speculation surrounding former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo's future has been rife following controversy with Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo dejected
It remains to be seen when Cristiano Ronaldo returns to action with Al-Nassr(Image: Getty Images)
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A third spell at Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo has been rubbished by his former team-mate amid his conflict with Al-Nassr. Ronaldo, who celebrates his 41st birthday on Thursday, has been the centre of global headlines following his his controversial strike in Saudi Arabia.
The Portuguese icon refused to play for Al-Nassr in their 1-0 win over Al-Riyadh on Monday due to his fury over former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema's move to title rivals Al-Hilal.
The Frenchman, 38, departed Al-Ittihad after having his contract terminated before making the move to the league leaders, who are a point ahead of Ronaldo's side in the Saudi Pro League.
Given Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal are all owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Ronaldo has been left furious that a deal to sign the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner was completed because of the damage it does to Al-Nassr's title charge.
With no guarantee he'll return to the squad for their clash against Al Ittihad on Friday, speculation on whether Ronaldo's time in Saudi will come to an end has been heavily discussed. According to The Athletic, the 41-year-old has a £44million release clause in his contract.
Reports have linked Ronaldo to a sensational return to Old Trafford to play under former Red Devils team-mate Michael Carrick but the chances of the striker donning the red for a third time were dismissed by former team-mate Wes Brown.
The former United defender told BettingLounge: "He's not happy but would Cristiano Ronaldo come back to Manchester United for a third go? I would say no. I can't see how that could happen. A move to MLS? Maybe. Maybe he goes back to Portugal and plays there. I'm sure he will still have so many options.
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Karim Benzema of Al Ittihad and Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr prior the Saudi Pro League match between Al Ittihad and Al Nassr at King Abdullah Sports City on September 26, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo was said to be irked by Karim Benzema's move to Al-Hilal(Image: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
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"The main thing is that he still wants to play in the World Cup and we would have to keep playing and making sure he keeps himself fit to do that. It's a shock to everyone to see Ronaldo on strike but I honestly think it will get resolved. We'll have to wait and see where it goes from here."
Indeed, given the way he left the club in 2022, it feels incredibly unlikely that Ronaldo would return in a playing capacity at any rate.
The Athletic added that Ronaldo feels let down by the Al-Nassr hierarchy for failing to adequately improve the squad during the January transfer window. The club only managed to sign Abdullah Al-Hamdan, a Saudi Arabia international centre-forward, from Al Hilal, and Haydeer Abdulkareem, an Iraqi midfielder, from Al-Zawraa SC during the winter.
The lack of big-name signings, coupled with Benzema's move to Al-Hilal has reportedly led Ronaldo to believe that the levels of ambition differ at the clubs owned by PIF. However, in an update that could please Al-Nassr fans, Ronaldo posted an image of himself training with the first team on Thursday.
Despite this, no confirmation has been made from the club on whether he'll feature as part of the matchday squad on Friday. Ronaldo has scored 17 goals in 18 games this season in the league, with only England striker Ivan Toney scoring more (18 goals).
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