Not even Saudi Arabia or FIFA could get Cristiano Ronaldo to the Club World Cup
MIAMI GARDENS: In the end, not even Saudi Arabia or Gianni Infantino could engineer a way to get Cristiano Ronaldo to the Club World Cup. FIFA president Infantino certainly tried — last month making a public appeal ahead of the tournament. “If any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup ...,” he teased during an interview with YouTuber iShowSpeed. Ronaldo’s contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr was due to expire and FIFA’s decision to create a specially-made mini transfer window for its newest competition meant the path was clear for the Real Madrid great to sign a short-term deal with a new team just in time to take part. Given his connection to Saudi Arabia, where he was the face of the oil-rich kingdom’s spectacular drive to sign some of soccer’s biggest stars in recent years, rumors began to circulate about a move to Al Hilal — the country’s most successful team and its sole representative at the Club World Cup. The problem was that Al Hilal and Al-Nassr are cross-city rivals in Riyadh. And even if Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund majority owns both teams — along with others — that was a step too far. “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,” Al Hilal chief executive Esteve Calzada told the BBC.