At odds with its leaders in Saudi Arabia, CR7 will always be welcome in Lisbon.
Sporting CP would closely monitor the situation of Cristiano Ronaldo on the side of Al-Nassr. At 40, the Portuguese legend would go through a period of tension with his management, to the point of having refused to play the last championship match against Al-Riyadh. His future in the Saudi Pro League would now be uncertain, and a departure is no longer ruled out, despite solid statistics this season (18 goals and 3 assists in 22 matches in all competitions).
According to several sources, Ronaldo is unhappy with the transfer policy pursued by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which he considers unbalanced. He would particularly consider that Al-Hilal was largely favored this winter, with the arrivals of Kader Meïté and Karim Benzema, while Al-Nassr only recruited the young Iraqi midfielder Haydeer Abdulkareem. Internally, the powers of sporting director Simao Coutinho and CEO Jose Semendo would have even been reduced, a context which would have accentuated the discomfort of the five-time Ballon d’Or.
Back to square one?
According to information from the Spanish media TransfersSporting would seriously study the feasibility of a return of its former jewel, trained in Lisbon and launched professionally at just 17 years old before his departure for Manchester United in 2003. If a comeback at Old Trafford seems unlikely, the hypothesis of a last European challenge cannot be ruled out for Ronaldo, currently stuck at 961 career goals. With the goal of 1,000 achievements in his sights, he also aims to compete in the 2026 World Cup with Portugal, before perhaps a final season, which could feel like a homecoming in Lisbon.
🚨 Cristiano Ronaldo is considering leaving Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr in the summer, with a return to Europe or a move to the MLS considered potential options.
The 40-year-old began a strike earlier this week, even though he is the highest-paid footballer in history, on a… pic.twitter.com/rRuEkhenHK
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) February 4, 2026
