Posted by Samuel on Tue 10th Feb, 2026 - tori.ng
This came to light after Benzema moved from Al-Ittihad in January, following his disagreement with Al-Hilal.
A text message from former Al-Hilal player Karim Benzema has reportedly upset Cristiano Ronaldo, causing tension and leading to the football icon going on strike at Al-Nassr.
This came to light after Benzema moved from Al-Ittihad in January, following his disagreement with Al-Hilal.
The French player moved from Jeddah to Riyadh on transfer deadline day, leaving the team that won the championship last season.
Ronaldo has been upset after the transfer deadline last week, refusing to play in either of Al-Nassr’s last two matches as a form of protest.
According to the Telegraph, Ronaldo’s strike action started after he received a text message from Benzema while his transfer to Al-Hilal was being finalised .
A source close to the situation told the Telegraph that Karim Benzema sent a message to his friend updating him on his move to Al-Hilal.
The Frenchman joked with Ronaldo, saying he would get a salary raise after moving to Al-Hilal and would also win the league title.
Even though the message seemed positive, Cristiano Ronaldo was not happy about Karim Benzema possibly joining Al-Hilal, so he tried to stop the transfer from happening.
He did not achieve that goal, and embarked on a strike to protest what he sees as unfair treatment from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, PIF.
Ronaldo noticed that his team only signed Hayder AbdulKareem and Abdullah Al-Hamdan, which were not as big of a deal compared to the players Al-Hilal brought in.
Al-Hilal signed French player Mohamed Kader Meite and experienced defender Pablo Mari, along with Benzema, as they aim to win the league championship.
Ronaldo has apparently sent a list of his requirements to the right people so he can end his strike. He is ready to leave the club during the middle of his two-year contract if his requests are not met.