Cristiano Ronaldo: Al-Hilal loan move would have been 'completely counter-intuitive'

Cristiano Ronaldo was top scorer in the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League campaign with 25 goals

The chief executive of Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal says that a loan move for Cristiano Ronaldo before the Club World Cup would have been "completely counter-intuitive" because he played for their "biggest opponent" Al-Nassr.

Al-Hilal were linked with a possible deal for the 40-year-old Portugal forward after Fifa introduced an additional transfer window earlier this month because of the revamped tournament.

Both rival Riyadh clubs are controlled by the country's Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Ronaldo is out of contract at Al-Nassr at the end of June.

But 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.