Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr has officially confirmed the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Portuguese posing with the club’s jersey.
After weeks of rumors linking the Portuguese star to a return to the Middle East after the 2022 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo has finally joined Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia as their new player.
The seven times Ballon d’Or winner has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract worth £173 million every year with the Saudi giant.
The deal is the biggest football deal ever and will see the former Manchester United star stay at the club till 2025.
Al Nassr took to the club’s social media handle to confirm the signing of the Portuguese star, who was a free agent.
Before the Al Nassr deal, Cristiano Ronaldo was a free agent without a club. His contract at Manchester United was torn apart after his explosive and controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
While his nuances, both off-pitch, and on-pitch, point toward an exit from the Old Trafford club, it was still unfathomable that Ronaldo would exit the shores of Europe.
After Manchester United failed to qualify for the Champions League ahead of this season, Cristiano Ronaldo vehemently pressed for an Old Trafford exit because he wanted to play Champions League football.
His exit attempts failed, with no club in Europe willing to bid for his services, despite his resolve to take a pay cut if need be.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United woes was compounded when he lost out of Erik Ten Hag’s starting lineup, leading to recurrent bust-ups on and off the field.
His fallout with the Red Devils climaxed in a controversial and explosive interview he granted with Piers Morgan venting his fury on the club’s moribund facilities, poor management, and uncouth behavior by Erik Ten Hag towards him.
After the interview, Manchester United terminated his contract, and he was left clubless going into the 2022 World Cup.
While at the World Cup, rumors of links and a potential move to Al-Nassr surfaced, with the 11 times Saudi champions offering him a two-year contract.
Despite the speculations, Ronaldo had remained mute. He trained at the Real Madrid facility after the World Cup.
There were speculations he might still be expecting offers from Europe, but other sources revealed he was closing in on Al-Nassr’s move.
Now, Cristiano Ronaldo has joined the Saudi giant on a two-and-a-half-year deal that will see him remain at the club till 2025.
According to reports, Al-Nassr and Saudi Arabia are hoping to leverage on Ronaldo’s influence to boost their chances of winning the 2030 World Cup hosting bid.
Confirming the signing of the Portuguese star, Al Nassr contends the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo is a big catch for Al Nassr, the Saudi Arabian league, and Saudi Arabia as a whole.
The club statement reads:
”History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve greater success but inspire our league, our nation, and future generations, boys and girls, to be the best version of themselves.”
Cristiano Ronaldo said;
“I’m thrilled for a new experience in a different league in a different country. The vision that Al Nassr has is very inspiring.
“I’m very excited to join my teammates, and to help the team achieve more success.”
In a photo shared on the club’s social media handle, Ronaldo posed with Al-Nassr’s jersey number 7 with his name on it.
The Portuguese star has now opened a new chapter in his football career after a sudden and drastic slip at Manchester United.
Meanwhile, Al-Nassr’s social media following has tripled from over 860k followers to 2.7 million at the time of filing this report, after they announced the signing of the Portuguese star.
