Cristiano Ronaldo trains on 41st birthday as Al-Nassr row clouds Al-Ittihad game | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo’s involvement against Al-Ittihad on Friday at 18:30 remains unresolved. On Thursday, his 41st birthday, the Al-Nassr forward shared a training photo with team-mates, hinting at some easing of tensions.

According to L'Équipe, that does not mean the five-time Ballon d'Or will feature against Karim Benzema’s former club. The move of his former Real Madrid team-mate from Al-Ittihad to Al-Hilal last week has angered Ronaldo, who sees it as undermining fairness in the title race.

Both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are funded by the Public Investment Fund, which also oversees the country’s other wealthiest clubs. Yet Al-Hilal, who added Benzema and former Rennes player Kader Meïté in the winter window, are not bound by restrictions applied to Ronaldo’s side.

Ronaldo is also unhappy about reduced influence of compatriots Simao Coutinho, sporting director, and José Semedo, chief executive. After Monday’s 1-0 win over Al-Riyadh, Sadio Mané scoring from a Joao Felix pass, coach Jorge Jesus skipped his press conference rather than address a player who did not play. Ronaldo has kept training as normal.

He would at minimum like Coutinho and Semedo to regain their authority before returning to competition and his pursuit of records. For now, a split with Al-Nassr is not being considered, in any case not before the next World Cup. That timing would protect his preparation and could allow a departure from Saudi Arabia a year early without paying a 50 million euros release clause.

Source: L'Équipe