![Ronaldo's future with Al-Nassr In limbo By Paul Joseph Cristiano Ronaldo's position at Al-Nassr is unclear after he was left out of the squad for their Saudi Pro League match against Al-Riyadh on Monday. Reports indicate that the 40-year-old is reluctant to play due to dissatisfaction with the club's management by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF). Both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, the country's most successful club with 19 league titles, are managed by the PIF, which also backs Newcastle United. Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in 2022 after leaving Manchester United mid-season, making him the highest-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177 million. However, during his time there, he has only won the Arab Club Champions Cup. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner signed a new two-year contract in June 2025. Before agreeing to the new contract, there were rumors about a possible exit from Al-Nassr, including a loan move to rivals Al-Hilal. The Arab Club Champions Cup is the only trophy Ronaldo has won with Al-Nassr. Since joining Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has been a prolific scorer, netting 14 goals in the 2022-23 Saudi Pro League after joining mid-season. He has been the league's top scorer for the past two seasons, with 35 and 25 goals, respectively. After being named the Best Middle East Player at the Globe Soccer Awards in December, Ronaldo stated: "You know what my goal is. I want to win trophies and I want to reach that number [1,000 goals] that you all know. I will definitely reach that number, assuming I stay injury-free." He scored his 17th goal of the season against Al-Kholood on Friday, bringing his career total to 961 goals—39 shy of his target. Al-Nassr finished as league runners-up in his first two seasons and came in third last season, trailing champions Al-Ittihad by 13 points. They also lost in the final of the King's Cup in the 2023-24 season to Al-Hilal on penalties. In the previous season, Al-Nassr was eliminated from the Asian Champions League Elite semi-finals by Japan's Kawasaki Frontale and only qualified for the second-tier Asian Champions League Two this season. Meanwhile, their domestic rivals Al-Ahli became Asian champions last year, featuring players like Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, and Ivan Toney. The only trophy Ronaldo has secured with the club remains the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023. Sen. Dickson condemns undue jostling to replace Ewhrudjakpor](https://thetrumpet.ng/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Senator-Seriake-Dickson-3-e1733174146504.jpg)
Former Governor of Bayelsa, Sen. Seriake Dickson on Monday condemned the jostling and intense lobbying for Ewhrudjakpo’s replacement even before he was buried on January 30.
Sen. Dickson, who spoke in a live interview aired by several radio stations in Bayelsa State, said that now that Ewhrujakpor has been buried, the nomination of a replacement is the responsibility of the governor.
“There is no contention about who should nominate a replacement for the late deputy governor.
“Even though I produced the governor and his deputy, I have neither interfered with the government or sought for any favours.
“For the six years so far, I have not put Diri under any pressure and will remain so for the remaining two years.
“Diri has not yet discussed the replacement of Ewhrujakpo with me and if he tables it, then it can be discussed. It is entirely at his discretion as governor,” Dickson said.
The former governor also disclosed that Ewhrudjakpor remained loyal to him until death, stressing that the late deputy governor declined his advice to join Gov. Diri in the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the stability of the state.
Sen. Dickson said that Ewhrujakpo told him that joining the APC without Dickson, his political mentor amounted to betrayal and opted to remain with him in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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“Governor Diri discussed his plan to leave PDP for APC several times and I did not see any merit in it and when he left, I advised Lawrence to join the governor in the interest of the political stability of the state which I have worked to build in the past 15 years
“Lawrence told me that he cannot abandon PDP that provided him with the platform to join APC, a party that the PDP contested and won, while his political mentor remained in PDP,” Sen. Dickson said.
The senator recalled that he spotted the traits of loyalty in Ewhrujakpo whom he met in the 1999s in his law practice when the late deputy governor consulted him as a lawyer.
He explained that In spite of partisan differences between him and Gov. Diri, he will remain supportive of the Diri-led administration until he serves our the remaining two years of his second term as governor.
Sen. Dickson said he has no regrets in the choice of Douye Diri and Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo as governor and deputy governor as the duo worked without friction.
