Al-Hilal CEO: Ronaldo Loan Move ‘Counter-Intuitive’ Before Club World Cup
Riyadh Rivals Rule Out Short-Term Deal for Al-Nassr Star
The chief executive of Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal has stated that a loan move for Cristiano Ronaldo before the upcoming Club World Cup would have been “completely counter-intuitive.” This is because the Portuguese superstar plays for their “biggest opponent,” Al-Nassr.
Al-Hilal had been linked with a potential deal for the 40-year-old forward after FIFA introduced an additional transfer window earlier this month for the revamped tournament. Both rival Riyadh clubs are controlled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Ronaldo’s contract with Al-Nassr is set to expire at the end of June.
When asked if they came close to a move for the forward, 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.”
Calzada elaborated on the unusual nature of the recent transfer window: “It’s been a very weird transfer window, it’s a very short period of time. You don’t want to take a decision thinking about this tournament that then you have to carry on with for the next two or three years.”
He emphasized the logical inconsistency of signing a rival’s star player, even on a temporary basis. “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. Even more when it’s only for three to four weeks.”
Al-Hilal explored other options to strengthen their squad. “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.”
Calzada confirmed that the club’s ambitions for squad reinforcement remain high, looking ahead to the traditional transfer window. “We’ll go into the traditional transfer window after the tournament still with the biggest ambitions to see if we can reinforce the team even more.”
