Benzema joins Al Hilal: What does this mean for Ronaldo?

Karim Benzema has official signed for Al Hilal in a move which could put Cristiano Ronaldo’s future in Saudi in serious jeopardy.

The French striker made the switch from Al-Ittihad to Al-Hilal on the final day of the January transfer window, signing for the club who currently sit one point ahead of Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the SPL.

The move is one which has certainly drawn attention after it was reported that Ronaldo wasn’t happy with the deal going through.

Al Hilal, along with Al Ahli and Benzema’s former club Al Ittihad, are all majority-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. While PIF approved Benzema’s move from Al Ittihad to Al Hilal, Ronaldo was reportedly unhappy with the arrangement.

The Portuguese star refused to play in Al Nassr’s clash with Al Riyadh on Monday, which was won by a single goal from Sadio Mané, in protest against a perceived lack of investment in his club compared to their rivals.

During the summer transfer window, the Portuguese star saw €105 million invested in strengthening his squad, slightly more than the €101.3 million spent by Al Hilal.

However, since joining Al Nassr in 2022, Ronaldo has yet to win the SPL, a situation that may be adding to his frustration as his side now sit just one point behind current leaders Al Hilal, who have strengthened their squad by adding Benzema in a bid to extend their advantage in the second half of the season.

Al Hilal have underlined their ambitions for the rest of the season by spending over €66 million on reinforcements, including Mohamed Kader Meïté, ex-Arsenal centre-back Pablo Marí, and, most notably, Benzema. In contrast, Al Nassr’s only addition during the window was 26-year-old Saudi striker Abdullah Al-Hamdan.

Since the 2023–24 season, Ronaldo’s first full campaign in Saudi Arabia, Al Nassr have poured €409.3 million into new signings. Yet even that hefty outlay is dwarfed by Al Hilal’s staggering €647.1 million spend over the past two-and-a-half years, underlining just how far they have outpaced their rivals.

After opting to boycott the clash with Al Riyadh, attention will remain firmly on Al Nassr’s star man as questions linger over the fallout from the transfer of his former Real Madrid teammate.