Al Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada says it would have been “a very unusual situation” for his club to have signed Cristiano Ronaldo as the Portuguese forward captains their “eternal rival” Al Nassr.
The Saudi Pro League giants were linked with a possible deal to sign Ronaldo during the additional transfer window that FIFA introduced earlier this month because of the Club World Cup. “And who haven’t they linked us with?” Calzada told Diario As.
“Cristiano too, of course. Well, we’re a bit like Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia, we’re the club that everyone leaks stories about because they might be interested in something … Sometimes it’s true, but a lot of it isn’t. It reminds me of the early days of Manchester City … when it seemed like every player had an offer from City. We’ve adopted a policy of not commenting on rumors. At the end of the day, Al Nassr [Cristiano’s former team] is like Atlético and Al Hilal is like Madrid.
“It would be a very unusual situation to strengthen your team with a player from your eternal rival.”
Ronaldo, 40, confirmed he had been courted by clubs competing in the Club World Cup but the Portuguese forward indicated he would continue at Al Nassr beyond his current deal that expires on June 30.
Calzada, whose club recently appointed Simone Inzaghi as their head coach after the Italian manager left Inter Milan, have not made any major signings heading into the Club World Cup.
They did try, with Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes having revealed earlier this month that he turned down a “very ambitious” offer from Al Hilal. However, Calzada insists many top players want to join Al Hilal.
“We’ve had top-level coaches who have offered their services and insisted on coming, and the same goes for top players,” Calzada said.
“Top, top players … And we have a very, very strong squad. The positive thing about seeing so many big names associated with us is that people are no longer amazed or see it as something impossible, but rather think it’s something that could happen, and that shows what kind of club we are.”
Calzada expects a very busy summer for his club in the transfer window.
“When the competition is over, we’re going to be very active,” he said. “We’re a very ambitious club and we’re expected to win. We’re coming off a season where we didn’t win the league. Even though we finished second, for us it’s a failure.
“But contrary to what people tend to think, we have budgets to stick to and we can’t do anything crazy.”
Al Hilal finished runners-up to Al Ittihad this season having won the Saudi Pro League title in 2023-24 under coach Jorge Jesus. Al Hilal begin their Club World Cup against Ronaldo’s former club Real Madrid on Wednesday.
