In the ongoing transfer talks of one of the greatest players of all time – Cristiano Ronaldo, the chief executive of Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal has addressed the rumors of a loan move for Cristiano Ronaldo before the Club World Cup as ‘counter-intuitive’ due to Ronaldo’s close tie with their biggest rival, Al-Nassr.
Read more to know what Al-Hilal CEO’s addressed about the club transfer, potentially allowing Ronaldo to play in the Club World Cup.
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[TRENDING] Al-Hilal CEO’s Response to Rumors
Following FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s announcement in May regarding the possibility of Ronaldo playing in the Club World Cup, rumors have been circulating all over the digital platforms that the 40-year-old forward could join Al-Hilal.
The rumors started when FIFA, in October, unanimously approved a proposal allowing national associations to create an “exceptional registration window” from June 1 to June 10, enabling teams competing in the Club World Cup to complete transfers before the tournament.
Addressing this news, Al-Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada, told BBC Sport, “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.
As much as I respect Ronaldo as a huge player, as we all recognize he is, it’s certainly completely counter-intuitive that you bring the biggest player of your biggest opponent to play with you.”
Here is an X post: https://x.com/NoodleHairCR7/status/1927794638414352434
The post from a user named ‘fan’ reads like: “🚨🚨🚨 CRISTIANO RONALDO WELCOME TO AL HILAL 🔥 CLUB WORLD CUP WE ARE COMING.”
🚨🚨🚨 CRISTIANO RONALDO WELCOME TO AL HILAL 🔥
CLUB WORLD CUP WE ARE COMING. pic.twitter.com/c2tyNr8lvK
— fan (@NoodleHairCR7) May 28, 2025
Calzada further talked about the transfer window for a short period of time, and they were not in a position to make a decision quickly, not just for the Club World Cup, but for the next two or three years.
He additionally added, “We’ve been trying to see if we can reinforce the team. But some players were with a mindset of ‘holidays already,’ some players were sometimes just asking for too much money, and we’re aware that our team is extremely competitive.”
The Club World Cup Angle
Further opening up about the transfer window before the Club World Cup, before the match against Real Madrid at Hard Rock Stadium, Al-Hilal’s CEO mentioned that they have not signed any new players before the tournament.
On the other hand, there were some fans who were calling the rumors of Cristiano Ronaldo joining the Al-Hilal club fake news.
However, the club is planning to strengthen the team following the conclusion of the Club World Cup so that the decision can be made in a rational way.
Earlier this month, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes revealed that he rejected a huge offer from Al-Hilal, citing that he wants to play at the highest possible level.
Similarly, it is also reported that the club was trying to consider moves for Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen just before the kickoff of the Club World Cup.
In addition to this, the Al-Hilal CEO made a bold statement saying, “We are very ambitious, but we need to see hunger from the player himself, and the transaction needs to work out both ways. The only thing we’ve been trying to remind players and agents is that yes, we are from Saudi Arabia, but we don’t print notes here!”
Amit Mishra’s Point of View
From a writer’s point of view, we have to appreciate the professionalism and strategy of the club, the Al-Hilal CEO, and the club dismissing Cristiano Ronaldo’s loan rumors, highlighting the long-term goal and objective of the team over the short-term gains. I feel like the big names like Ronaldo are likely to be associated with several clubs with time, but Al-Hilal’s financial responsibility has even more emphasized the importance of a correct decision that needs to be made at the right time with proper justification.
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