 "Cristiano Ronaldo is not part of the action at the FIFA Club World Cup; here's why")
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was hopeful of having a Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi showdown in the Club World Cup that currently is underway in the United States. The tournament, after all, has expanded from a seven-team face-off between continental champions to a 32-team football carnival, and having two of the biggest superstars in the modern era of the sport would have only boosted its popularity and ticket sales.
However, while Messi’s team Inter Miami qualified for the tournament through the host nation’s slot, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr failed to make the cut, with Al Hilal being the only Saudi Pro League team to make the cut.
Also Read | Ronaldo confirms he will not be playing at FIFA Club World Cup: 'You can’t take part in everything'
CR7 could still have faced off against his old rival had he joined one of the clubs playing in the tournament in the short transfer window that had specially been created between the end of the 2024-25 season and the tournament.
FIFA chief Infantino even made a public appeal for the clubs taking part in the tournament to sign Ronaldo for the tournament. “If any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup…,” the Swiss administrator said in an interview with popular YouTuber iShowSpeed.
Why Ronaldo is not playing at the Club World Cup
The fact that Ronaldo's contract with Al Nassr was also set to expire in the ongoing season further fuelled speculations of a transfer to one of the World Cup-bound clubs.
Despite Ronaldo’s participation in the Club World Cup also being in the interest of Saudi Arabia, with the Real Madrid star having been the face of the Gulf Kingdom’s football ambitions, a possible move to Al Hilal ultimately fell through despite the fact that it is financed by Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, the same as Al Nassr.
Al Hilal’s chief executive claimed Ronaldo’s last-minute signing from their cross-town rivals would have been “counter-intuitive” regardless of the 40-year-old’s stature as a player.
“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 chief executive Esteve Calzada told the BBC.
The statement certainly comes as a surprise given Saudi’s push for signing some of the biggest names in the sport from top European clubs, including Neymar, Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, Joao Cancelo etc. besides Ronaldo.
And while Saudi Arabia has won the hosting rights for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, it has also made major investments in the Club World Cup, including in broadcaster DAZN as well as the prize money of $1 billion that will be distributed to the participating teams.
Al-Hilal, however, chose to focus their attention on signing high-profile coach Simone Inzaghi, who had recently parted ways with Champions League runners-up Inter Milan, ahead of the Club World Cup instead of going ahead with the Ronaldo signing.
The move thus highlights the fact that they intended to stick to their tried-and-tested squad while trying out new tactics through their new manager.
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