Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr dealt blow as Saudi player from squad joins rivals Al-Hilal

Saudi Arabian defender Ali Lajami has officially joined Al-Hilal from Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr. Lajami joined the Knights of Najd in 2020 from Al-Fateh for a reported fee of €5.56m.

Although Al-Nassr ended the 2024-25 season trophyless, the 29-year-old was a key player in the club’s campaign. He made 35 appearances across competitions, including 25 in the Saudi Pro League.

Al-Hilal announced Ali Lajami's signing via their official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, May 27. They posted a picture of the defender and captioned it with:

“A new defender in our squad. Welcome 𝐀𝐥𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐢."

Expand Tweet

During his five-year stint with Al-Nassr, Lajami made 128 appearances across competitions, scoring twice and providing five assists.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano drops update on Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Al-Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Al-Nassr currently hangs in the balance. The 40-year-old joined the club in 2023 and signed a two-year deal that will expire this summer. However, he is yet to sign an extension and has been linked with an exit from the club, which was further fueled by his recent post on social media after Al-Nassr’s 3-2 defeat to Al Fateh.

Speaking on his eponymous YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano provided an update on Ronaldo’s future at the club. He said (via Sports Illustrated):

"As of today, we are at the end of May, the contract expires in June, and Cristiano Ronaldo has still not put pen to paper on a new deal with Al-Nassr. So, at the moment, nothing is signed, and nothing is completed between Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr. Let's see what happens now, because the situation could be open for Cristiano Ronaldo to other opportunities to other clubs, not only abroad, but also in Saudi internally."

Romano added:

“Cristiano Ronaldo wants to win. The goals are important, the records are important, but Cristiano Ronaldo's mentality is always the same, he wants to win.”

While Al-Nassr's struggles have persisted, Ronaldo has continued to strut his stuff. He was the top scorer of the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League with 25 goals to his name.

About the author

Ezekiel is a European football journalist who covers breaking news and transfer rumors at Sportskeeda. He is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Accounting and has a work experience of around 3 years, having previously worked at the likes of Opera News Hub and Extratime Talk. He is a proponent of factual accuracy, meticulous research, verification of sources and journalistic ethics and standards.

An ardent Chelsea fan, Ezekiel's journey as a football fan began in his childhood, witnessing Ronaldinho dazzle with his skills. His interest in the beautiful game deepened after Nigeria were knocked out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup; he was impressed with the Super Eagles' fighting spirit in their 2-2 Group B draw against South Korea. Some other World Cup matches which have left a deep impact on him were Belgium's incredible comeback against Japan in the round of 16 of the 2018 version and the 2022 final.

Lionel Messi is the one true GOAT for Ezekiel and he also follows the Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League owing to him and Cristiano Ronaldo. When not writing, he spends his free time deepening his SEO knowledge and watching skits.

Know More

Edited by Arshit Garg