“He wouldn’t even come close to the door.”

Saudi critic Walid Al-Faraj criticized Al-Nasr star Cristiano Ronaldo for his ongoing protest against the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The critic referred to Ronaldo’s visit to US President Donald Trump late last year in his scathing attack on the Portuguese international player.

Al-Faraj said, according to the A Bola website, that Cristiano Ronaldo seems to have overestimated his status and importance in the Saudi Professional League. The respected pundit told the striker to make amends or leave, pointing out that Saudi Arabia pays him better money and has made him more important than Europe ever was.

“Cristiano Ronaldo needs to know his place. This country is called Saudi Arabia, not Ronaldo’s kingdom. He confuses being an ambassador with being a manager. He’s been a disappointment. He’s an employee, he earns a millionaire’s salary – more than he earned in Europe – and he has to respect the league, or he has to leave. Imagine a Manchester City player refusing to play in protest against the decisions of the club owner. Or an Arsenal player refusing two games because he is not satisfied with the renewal offer. There is no way any player would dare to do that in the league.” Excellent English.

The pundit also boldly stated that without his ties to Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo would never have been able to visit the White House as he did in November.

He said (via GOAL): “We can give him 500 years and Ronaldo will never enter the White House. If he had not been part of the Saudi delegation, he would not have even approached the door.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has dominated the headlines over the past week due to his decision to go on strike in protest against the Public Investment Fund. The 41-year-old did not play in each of Al-Nasr’s last two matches against Riyadh and Al-Ittihad after his decision to be absent from the field.

Ronaldo has reportedly outlined his demands to return to playing for Knights of Najd while also considering his future. The former Real Madrid star signed a two-year contract with the club last summer, but is prepared to leave for £43m this summer if his demands are not met.

Cristiano Ronaldo loses ground in the Saudi Golden Shoe race amid Al-Nasr strike

Cristiano Ronaldo has fallen behind both Julian Quiñones and Ivan Toney in the race for the 2025-2026 Saudi Professional League Golden Boot. The striker did not appear in any of Al-Nasr’s last two matches due to his ongoing strike against his club’s ownership.

Al-Qadisiyah striker Quiñones scored his team’s equalizer against Al-Fateh 1-1, raising his tally for the season to 18 goals. Tony also scored against Al-Hazm on Thursday, raising his tally to 19 goals in the largest number of matches for Al-Ahly this season.

Ronaldo won the Golden Boot in each of his two full seasons as a player at Al Nassr, with the quality of his goal scoring shining through. He scored 17 goals in 18 matches with his team before his protest last week.