Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr lack the economic power to compete with Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, so says Jorge Jesus.
A four-game winless run saw Al-Nassr lose ground on their title rivals, but Jorge Jesus’ team have since got back on track.
They have won their last six league games to close the gap on leaders Al-Hilal to just one point.
That is despite Ronaldo missing two of those fixtures as he sat out in protest of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund’s lack of support for Al-Nassr during the winter transfer window.
Ronaldo marked his return to action with a goal in a 2-0 win over Al-Fateh on Saturday, but coach Jorge Jesus, who won a domestic treble with Al-Hilal in 2024, feels his captain’s absence was justified.
“I’ve already been at Al-Hilal,” Jorge Jesus said.
This is Nassr… unity, passion, victory pic.twitter.com/kJJukLiDw4
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) February 14, 2026
“I’ve been on the other side, so I know what that’s like. I’ve already benefited from it. They have more economic power.
“When I was there, I benefited as a coach. It’s normal. Al-Nassr, with different resources, has to compete for the top spots. We have to continue to be strong.
“That’s why I was hired, to reduce the gap between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, in terms of titles and points.
“And that’s what we’re doing. We have a lot of confidence in Al Nassr’s structure, a structure that, little by little, is increasingly managing to balance the group.
“But not only the group of players who play, but also a group off the field, a team that is aware of the difficulties, a team that knows it will be fighting against opponents with greater economic power, not sporting power.”