Al-Hilal CEO trolls Cristiano Ronaldo and says Karim Benzema has joined ‘the most powerful club in Saudi Arabia’
Cristiano Ronaldo is furious at Karim Benzema's move to Al-Hilal
The CEO of Al-Hilal has poured fuel on the fire of Cristiano Ronaldo’s discontent by claiming Karim Benzema has joined the “most powerful and popular club in Saudi Arabia”.
The transfer of the former France striker from Al-Ittihad, with whom Benzema could not agree terms on a contract extension, to Al-Hilal has caused an enormous row in Saudi Arabian football.
Ronaldo is thought to be particularly unhappy that his former Real Madrid team-mate has been allowed to join Al-Hilal, who are batting with the Portuguese’s Al-Nassr in the Pro League title race.
Both Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr are majority owned by PIF (The Saudi Public Investment Fund) as are Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli. Reports suggest Ronaldo believes PIF have shown favouritism by allowing such a big-name player to move from one of their clubs to another.
The 40-year-old showed his displeasure by making himself unavailable for Al-Nassr’s game with Al-Riyadh on Monday – a game his team eventually won 1-0 to remain a point behind Al-Hilal – and there is now widespread speculation he could look to leave Saudi in June.
Al-Hilal relishing having Benzema on board
Al-Hilal have no such issues, though, having signed Benzema, who is the current Saudi Pro League Player of the Year, on a free transfer and handed him a lucrative 18-month contract.
Their CEO Esteve Calzada said he was not interested in Ronaldo seemingly going on strike – “you’ll have to ask him” was his response – but was delighted Benzema was now on board.
He told El Larguero: “We were given a unique opportunity because we were looking for a striker and Benzema is a Ballon d’Or winner and has a spectacular talent. On top of that, he doesn’t have to adapt to our league. He has been handed to us and we are already noticing the benefits commercially.”
He added: “Although it is a signing that has been made for sporting needs, we have set to work to get the most out of it. I am not surprised that Benzema has chosen Al-Hilal because it is the most powerful and popular club in Saudi Arabia.”
Al-Nassr are next in action against Al-Ittihad on Friday and there will be plenty of attention on the team sheets to see if Ronaldo plays.