Al-Hilal CEO opens up on Ronaldo’s rumoured Club World Cup move

Cristiano Ronaldo’s rumoured move to Al-Hilal to feature in their Club World Cup campaign would have been entirely ‘counter-intuitive’, the club’s chief executive has stressed in a new interview. 

The Portugal superstar currently features for Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Nassr, after signing for the club in the wake of his acrimonious second Manchester United exit at the end of 2022. 

But since moving to Saudi Arabia as the first in a wave of big-money, bold-faced name stars, the player has gone without major honours. 

Ronaldo hinted at the close of the season that he would be looking for another team with the expiration of his £173million-a-year contract in Riyadh, sharing a post on social media saying: ‘This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.’

Among a number of floated destinations, the name of Al-Hilal emerged, spurred somewhat by FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s bold claim that the 40-year-old could still pay at the Club World Cup despite his team not qualifying. 

However, Al-Hilal will face off against Real Madrid on Wednesday in their first match of the tournament without the forward in their something – something executive Esteve Calzada described as always being an impossibility. 

‘We normally don’t comment on players’ situations, particularly because our name is always put out there, when a player or an agent wants to negotiate a better deal with his club, or is trying to move out,’ Calzada told BBC Sport. 

‘It’s been a very weird transfer window, it’s a very short period of time.

‘You don’t want to take a decision thinking about this tournament that then you have to carry on with for the next two or three years.

‘As much as I respect Ronaldo as a huge player, as we all recognise he is, it’s certainly completely counter-intuitive that you bring the biggest player of your biggest opponent to play with you.

‘Even more when it’s only for three to four weeks.’

Ronaldo had announced himself at the start of the month that he would not be participating in FIFA’s flagship club tournament, but stressed that he had received a number of offers. 

‘It’s almost decided that I will not take part at the FIFA Club World Cup despite receiving many invitations and proposals,’ Ronaldo told reporters ahead of his triumphant Nations League campaign. 

‘There have been talks, contacts… but you have to think about short, medium and long term.’

The former Real Madrid star is instead believed to be mulling a contract extension to keep him at Al-Nassr, where he insisted in December that he was still hungry to win trophies. 

Calzada also opened up on his club’s abortive move for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. 

The midfielder is thought to have been the subject of an eye-popping £200m offer from the Saudi Pro League outfit, but announced at the close of the season that he would be staying with the Red Devils. 

Fernandes had previously hinted that he would move for the good of the club against the backdrop of worsening financial services in the transfer market. 

‘I cannot confirm nor deny that we’ve been interested in him,’ Calzada continued. 

‘He’s a big player, it fits the profile of player that we think would be good for Al-Hilal, just like many others. We’re not refraining from contacting players because we feel they would say no to us.

‘The names we are linked with demonstrate the ambition of the club. We believe that we are in a position to pitch (to) any players nowadays.’

Other standout names that have been linked to the club during the ongoing summer transfer window are believed to include Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez, and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.