France icon Karim Benzema swapped one Saudi club for another on Monday when joining Al-Hilal from rival Al-Ittihad — a move that could be bad news for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The former Ballon d'Or winner has joined Saudi Pro League leader Al-Hilal, which is one point ahead of Ronaldo's Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo is still waiting for his first league title since moving to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and has seen his main rival strengthen with the addition of five-time Champions League winner Benzema.
The former Real Madrid striker, a teammate of Ronaldo's at the Spanish giant. led Al-Ittihad to the title last year, as well as the King's Cup.
Al-Hilal is Saudi Arabia's most successful team with 21 league titles and four Asian Championships.
Last year it stunned Manchester City at the Club World Cup 4-3 and knocked out Pep Guardiola's team.
Coached by two-time Champions League finalist Simone Inzaghi, it represents a major threat to Ronaldo's hopes of being crowned league champion after sparking a wave of top soccer players — including Benzema — to move to the Saudi league.
Benzema's deal comes at a time when there are reports Ronaldo is unhappy about a lack of transfer activity from Al-Nassr.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is the majority owner of Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr.
Al-Hilal is accustomed to making spectacular signings, having lured Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023. It previously tried to sign Kylian Mbappe for a world record $332 million and last year moved for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr after leaving Man United as a free agent in 2022. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has become the face of soccer in Saudi Arabia but his only trophy has been the Arab Champions Cup.
He was absent from Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League match against Al Riyadh on Monday amid reports he is unhappy.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
What the Constitution Means to Me Read moreWhat The Constitution Means To Me
You’ve likely known your closest friends for years — but when was the last time you met some… Read moreMaking Friends in Your 60s and Beyond
anna kuhre said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.