In a shocking turn of events, neither Saudi Arabia nor FIFA president Gianni Infantino could convince Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the Club World Cup. Last month, Infantino made a public appeal in which he jokingly said during an interview with YouTuber iShowSpeed, “If any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup…” but the move did not happen.
Ronaldo’s contract with Al-Nassr, a Saudi Arabian club, was about to run out, and there was a chance to make a short-term arrangement for him to play in the league. Many people thought he might join Al Hilal, the country’s most successful team and the only one in the Club World Cup, because he was the face of Saudi Arabia’s effort to attract worldwide football talent.
But the thought of switching between Al Hilal and Al-Nassr, Saudi Arabia’s two largest clubs, created a lot of talk. Esteve Calzada, the CEO of Al Hilal, talked about the situation and said, “As much as I respect Ronaldo as a huge player, as we all know he is, it doesn’t make sense to bring the biggest player of your biggest opponent to play with you.” The fact that the move was only for three to four weeks made it even harder. This problem brought to light the growing tensions between Riyadh’s two biggest clubs.
It’s clear that Saudi Arabia is putting more money into sports, as the country is changing the way golf and boxing are played. It has also made a lot of progress in football, obtaining the right to host the 2034 World Cup and spending a lot of money on sports projects.
