In the AFC Champions League Round of 16, Ronaldo's Saudi galacticos face the 'unbeatable' toy of a Turkmen dictator. A surreal duel between two versions of state-sponsored reality.
It is January 12, 2026. The Kingdom Arena is buzzing, but the real noise is coming from the encrypted chats of agents and board members. Inside the high-stakes poker game of the Al Hilal vs. Al-Nassr showdown.
Tonight in Riyadh, the world tunes in for a clash of billions. But strip away the pyrotechnics and the PR, and you’re left with a brutal truth: one of these teams is playing football, the other is playing the protagonist.
