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Cristiano Ronaldo breaks silence over Saudi Arabia future after Donald Trump 'GOAT' comments
Suraj Radia
- 22 Feb 2026 07:01 CST
- 4 min read
News
Cristiano Ronaldo made a bold declaration about his future after making another goalscoring return for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo missed two games for Al-Nassr earlier this month after going on strike to protest the management of the PIF, with the superstar threatening to leave Saudi Arabia this summer.
Current ETV
Cristiano Ronaldo
F (C)
Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo
F (C)
Al-Nassr
ETV Range
€9.4M - €11.5M
However, Ronaldo returned to the team last week with a goal against Al-Fateh and he followed that up with a brace on Saturday against Al-Hazem.
Ronaldo is now just 38 goals away from reaching 1000 across his entire career and the 41-year-old insisted he is happy to remain in Saudi Arabia despite the speculation.
"Yeah, I'm very happy,” Ronaldo told Thmanya Sports. "As I say so many times, I belong to Saudi Arabia. It's a country that welcomed very well to me and my family and my friends.
"I'm happy here. I want to continue here. And the most important, it's we keep pushing. We are there in the top. Our job is to win, make pressure [on our title rivals], and let's see.”
’The GOAT’: Ronaldo gets White House invite from Donald Trump
Ronaldo had been frustrated at the PIF’s decision to allow Karim Benzema to join Al-Hilal from rivals Al-Ittihad last month, having failed to strengthen Al-Nassr during the January transfer window.
The PIF control all three clubs but Ronaldo felt aggrieved by the decision, particularly with Al-Hilal sitting just a point behind leaders Al-Nassr in the title race.
The Saudi Pro League responded strongly to Ronaldo’s protest and insisted that no player was bigger than the division, however it appears tensions have calmed down after discussions between all parties.
Ronaldo’s contract with Al-Nassr runs until 2027 but the Portuguese superstar has a release clause of €50 million that is active this summer.
The legendary forward is hoping to score his 1000th goal in the coming months after netting number 962 on the weekend, with the upcoming 2026 World Cup a prime opportunity to add to his tally.
Ronaldo was also called the ‘greatest of all time’ by Donald Trump this week and he had an invitation extended to him to visit the White House, having previously shown his desire to meet the US president one day.
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