Is Cristiano Ronaldo Right About PIF Favouring Al-Hilal Over Al-Nassr?

Karim Benzema has said Al-Hilal are “like Real Madrid in Asia” after completing a transfer that left former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo very upset.

Benzema and Ronaldo played together at the real Real Madrid for nine seasons between 2009 and 2018, before both signed for clubs in Saudi Arabia in their 30s.

Ronaldo was among the first cohort of European superstars to move to the Saudi Pro League when he arrived at Al-Nassr in January 2023.

Benzema then signed for Al-Ittihad later that year.

Cristiano Ronaldo unhappy at owners of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs

Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli are all owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

But those four clubs have enjoyed varying levels of success in recent years.

Al-Hilal won a record-breaking 19th Pro League title in the 2023/24 campaign, while Al-Ittihad were champions in the two seasons either side.

Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have not been champions of Saudi Arabia since 2019 — well before the Portugal legend’s arrival — and Al-Ahli last won the nation’s top division in 2016.

Although Al-Nassr are just one point behind Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League title race, Ronaldo is understood to have expressed his anger at what he perceives to be favouritism by the PIF towards the team currently top of the table.

That anger was believed to have been exacerbated by news that Benzema was heading to Al-Hilal on transfer deadline day, rather than to Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo, who is the highest-paid footballer in the world, refused to play in Al-Nassr’s last game — a 1-0 win over Al-Riyadh on Monday — in protest at the apparent unfairness.

Karim Benzema brands Al-Hilal the Real Madrid of Asia

The same day of that game saw Benzema complete his move from Al-Ittihad to Al-Hilal on a free transfer.

“It’s good. I’m happy to be here,” Benzema later told Al-Hilal’s official website after his first training session under manager Jorge Jesus.

“After my first training with the team, with the coach, I’m so happy and glad to be a part of this team. It’s a good team, with a good history. They have won a lot of trophies.”

Benzema then delivered a line that will likely only increase Ronaldo’s frustration, saying: “It’s similar, like Real Madrid in Asia.

“Everything is good, the fans are good, they play well, they have good players, they have a good mentality.”

Does the PIF really favour Al-Hilal over Al-Nassr?

It is uncertain whether key figures at the PIF genuinely want Al-Hilal to succeed more than Al-Nassr.

However, it is true that significantly more funds have been allocated to Al-Hilal than their domestic rivals in terms of transfer fees over the past five years.

During this period, Al-Hilal’s net spend on transfer fees has been around £558m — roughly £224m more than Al-Nassr and almost double what Al-Ahli have paid.

Net transfer spend of top Saudi Pro League clubs (past five years)

Club	Net spend (£)
Al-Hilal	£558m
Al-Nassr	£334m
Al-Ahli	£281m
Al-Ittihad	£328m

While Al-Hilal are well ahead in terms of direct transfer spending, the PIF is actually spending significantly more on Al-Nassr when it comes to player wages.

In fact, based on a recent estimate, Ronaldo’s basic weekly wage of around £3.4m is higher than the entire Al-Hilal squad.

Estimated weekly wage bill of top Saudi Pro League clubs

Club	Weekly wage bill (£)
Al-Nassr	£5.9m
Al-Hilal	£3.1m
Al-Ahli	£2.8m
Al-Ittihad	£2.5m

Will Karim Benzema deny Cristiano Ronaldo the Saudi Pro League title again?

Benzema won the Pro League with Al-Ittihad last season when the Jeddah side finished with 83 points. Al-Hilal were second with 75, while Al-Nassr came third with 70.

Al-Nassr came second in the previous season but still finished a whopping 14 points behind Al-Hilal, who went unbeaten and set a new Saudi Pro League points record.

Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr also finished second in the 2022/23 campaign, despite having been top of the table when the Portuguese icon arrived midway through the season.

Despite winning the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot in both 2023/24 and 2024/25, Ronaldo has yet to achieve major team success with Al-Nassr.

To date, his only team trophy with the club was the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup.

Ronaldo’s strike may end in time for him to feature in Friday’s Pro League showdown with Al-Ittihad, but he could be running out of opportunities to win the league in Saudi Arabia.

He is under contract with Al-Nassr until June 2027, but there are rumours that he could leave this summer.

It is understood that he has a £43m release clause in his contract, while there is also speculation that he may retire after the World Cup.

Ronaldo has previously made it clear that he intends to keep playing until he reaches 1,000 career goals. He has scored 961 goals to date.