Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr appeal for equality after Al-Hilal sign Neymar in big-money deal: Reports

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr have appealed for equality after Al-Hilal recently signed Neymar for a whopping $418 million deal, according to Saudi news outlet @9NFCBALL on Twitter (via EssentiallySports).

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Saudi Pro League (SPL) Al-Nassr in January, signing a lucrative two-and-a-half-year deal with the club, worth a reported $215 million a year.

This kicked off the exodus of numerous top stars from Europe to join the SPL this summer, including Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Roberto Firmino, and Neymar.

Four clubs in the league (Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli) are behind these big-money moves as they are under the financial umbrella of Saudi's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

However, Al-Nassr are currently unhappy with the allocation of funds between the four clubs, believing they are receiving the short end of the stick.

Al-Hilal signed Barcelona and PSG legend Neymar on August 15 on a two-year deal for €90 million. The Brazilian ace is expected to earn a salary of $300 million over his contract, which could potentially rise up to $400 million.

The Knights of Najd believe the PIF have allocated more funds to their rivals for them to be able to pull off such a substantial transfer. In comparison, Al-Nassr's budget allocation reportedly began at $66 million and ended at $98 million after Cristiano Ronaldo's valuation was calculated.

The other three clubs were allocated $130 million. The signing of Neymar took the difference between Al-Hilal's and Al-Nassr's expenditures to $217 million. As a result, the latter appealed to the Polarization Committee - a request that was rejected.

The Committee have since agreed to help support Al-Nassr's €60 million signing of Otavio, but the difference between them and Al-Hilal is still $152 million.

As a result, Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. have appealed once again for equality and increased backing. The Polarization Committee have not responded to Al-Nassr's demands yet.

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"Everyone called him crazy" - Al-Hilal superstar Neymar credits Cristiano Ronaldo for transforming the Saudi Pro League

Barcelona legend Neymar recently credited Cristiano Ronaldo for helping shift the Saudi Pro League into the global spotlight following the Portuguese's big-money move in January.

The 31-year-old decided to ply his trade for Al-Hilal, becoming the league's most expensive signing in the process. He is set to team up with the likes of Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Malcom.

In a recent interview, Neymar credited Ronaldo for his move to the Middle East and said (via talkSPORT):

“I believe that Cristiano Ronaldo started all this and everyone called him crazy and this and that. Today, you see the league grow more and more. I am here to help the league grow more and more, it’s already changing a lot, they have made a lot of signings and for sure the league will be very competitive after the signings they’ve made in this summer transfer window."

He added:

“I believe competitiveness is important and that’s why I am joining this league, obviously it’s a very different switch, but a new challenge.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has made a massive impact for Al-Nassr so far, scoring 14 goals and providing three assists in 21 appearances across all competitions. The 38-year-old also helped the Knights of Najd win the Arab Club Cup Champions, scoring six goals to help his side secure the friendly competition.