Premier League Legend Slams Cristiano Ronaldo for ‘Bizarre’ Boycott Act at Al-Nassr Over PIF Investment

Cristiano Ronaldo has gone on strike at Al-Nassr, and the Portuguese superstar has shown no signs of ending it. One Premier League legend has now criticized the 41-year-old for his actions in Saudi Arabia.

Cristiano Ronaldo Slammed for Al-Nassr Strike

Ronaldo is dissatisfied with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and believes it is showing preferential treatment in owning four Saudi Pro League clubs. He contends that Al-Hilal is receiving more support than the other three clubs, and the recent transfer window reinforced that view.

Al-Nassr signed only one player — an 18-year-old midfielder — and added Abdullah Al-Hamdan on a free transfer after his release from Al-Hilal. Meanwhile, the league leaders acquired Karim Benzema, Kader Meite, Pablo Mari, Sultan Mandash, and Murad Al-Hawsawi during the winter window.

Ronaldo went on strike this week to protest, and Premier League legend Alan Shearer has criticized him for it. Shearer said it is unusual to see the Portuguese star absent from matches and told BetFair (via GOAL):

“There’s not many people on over £400,000 a day and go on strike. It must be a nice position to be in to say I’m not coming to work despite being on that amount of money. It’s bizarre when you think about it. He’s a superstar but going on strike at that level doesn’t look good.”

However, A Bola reports that Ronaldo’s strike is not solely about Al-Hilal’s preferential treatment. The Portuguese publication says the club captain is also protesting unpaid wages. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward does not plan to play until all salaries owed are paid.

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Al-Nassr Availability Decision for Al-Ittihad Clash Amid Rift With PIF

Ronaldo’s protest has not hindered Al-Nassr’s results this week. They defeated Al Riyadh on Monday and followed with a 2-0 win over Al-Ittihad on Friday. Sadio Mane played a key role in both matches, scoring in each, and the six points helped them close the gap on Al-Hilal to one point after the leaders dropped two points.

Since 2018 world cup Cristiano has constantly had issues at every world cup year with the clubs he played for
Is this a good sign at all that he is having issues at Al nassr😔
2018- Left Real Madrid
2022- Terminated Man united contract
2026…. pic.twitter.com/Y7pxQEtQio

— JuniorFuture (Zetarium) (@JithranOJ) February 7, 2026

The Portuguese forward has a $59 million release clause in the contract he signed last year, and Turkish clubs are monitoring his situation in Saudi Arabia.