Never moved for Cristiano Ronaldo
Al Giral CEO Estev Kalzada says the move to sign Cristiano Ronaldo on a short-term contract to be able to play in the Club World Cup was by no means a realistic proposal.
Al Hilal was linked to the Portuguese superstar. The Portuguese superstar reportedly ended his contract with Al Nasr soon and was eager to play in the US summer tournament.
– Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) June 15th, 2025
Ronaldo’s signature was “counter-intuitive.”
However, Kalzada acknowledged that despite being owned by Saudi Arabian public investment funds, it is always unlikely to sign a rival player in Al-Hilal’s professional league.
He told the BBC: “We usually don’t comment on the player’s situation, especially since our names are always there when a player or agent wants to negotiate or move in a better deal with his club.
“It was a very strange transfer window, for a very short period of time.
“I don’t want to think about this tournament and make the decision that I have to continue for the next two or three years.
“It certainly is completely counterintuitive to bring in the biggest opponents you play with and the biggest opponents you play with, just as I respect Ronaldo as a huge player, as we all recognize him.
“If there’s only another three or four weeks.”
Al Hilal expects to be busy with his second transfer window
The first transfer window introduced for clubs participating in the Club World Cup is currently closed, with the second World Cup closed.
And Al Hilal is expected to be busy as he was linked to Victor Osimhen and Darwin Nunes.
Karzada added: “We’re trying to see if we can strengthen our team. But some players have already had a ‘holiday’ mindset.
“We still have our biggest ambitions after the tournament and after the tournament to see if we can further strengthen our team.”
Al Gillal launched his Club World Cup campaign with Real Madrid on June 18th, facing RB Salzburg four days later, and concluded his group stage with Pachuca on June 27th.