Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema shared the locker room at Real Madrid for nine years. They have been the best of mates on the pitch, helping the Los Blancos win four Champions League titles and together forming a deadly trio with Gareth Bale by their side. Since 2018, Ronaldo and Benzema have gone their separate ways before both reuniting in the Saudi Pro League, where Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr and Benzema signed for Al-Ittihad.
Things were going smoothly with Benzema’s Ittihad clinched a domestic double last season, while Al Nassr is fighting for the league title against Al-Hilal in the 2025-26 season. The latest twist came on Monday, when Benzema completed a move to Al-Hilal after ending his contract with Al-Ittihad. His departure followed a period of tension, during which local reports indicated he was unimpressed by contract renewal discussions. Benzema had already been absent from Al-Ittihad’s previous two league fixtures, and his exit soon became unavoidable.
This season, despite being 38, Benzema remained influential, registering 16 goals in 21 appearances across competitions. Meanwhile, Al-Hilal, league leaders on 47 points, have now added Benzema to a squad already viewed as the benchmark of the competition. Al-Nassr trail by a single point, but Al-Ittihad have slipped to sixth, underlining how sharply fortunes have shifted within a year.
That imbalance is now central to Ronaldo’s discontent. Reports from Portugal and Saudi Arabia state that the Al-Nassr forward has declined to feature despite being fit. The issue is not internal. Al-Nassr’s CEO, Jose Semedo, is one of Ronaldo’s closest confidants, and there is no indication of unrest inside the club.
The favouritism factor
Instead, Ronaldo’s frustration is said to be directed at the Public Investment Fund, which oversees the league’s major teams. Since 2023, Al-Hilal have enjoyed far greater investment than their rivals, and Benzema’s arrival has only intensified scrutiny of that disparity.
For Ronaldo, competitiveness is the core issue. His Saudi spell has yet to deliver the silverware he expects, and at 40, time and match sharpness matter, especially with a World Cup approaching and the pursuit of 1,000 career goals ongoing.
The situation has placed the Saudi Pro League under an uncomfortable glare. With managers also hinting publicly at favouritism, the questions are growing louder at a moment when the league was gaining global credibility.
