Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he is welcoming the idea of owning a football club after retiring from football.
Ronaldo is contracted to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr until the summer of 2025 but he is already making arrangements for life after active football.
Speaking with reporters during an event in Madrid for his newly established bottled water business company, Cristiano Ronaldo said:
“I don’t rule out becoming a club owner, It’s something I thought about a few years.”
It appears the probability of Ronaldo being at the 2026 World Cup in North America is shaky as he said he might retire possibly in the next two or three years.
“I probably would like to own a football club. I’m at the end of my career, two to three years maximum.”
The football great who penned a deal with Al Nassr in January after exiting England in acrimonious circumstances is happy with the decision of Karim Benzema to join the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated the decision of ex-Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema, who binned a one-year contract extension with Madrid to sign for Pro League champions Al Ittihad.
The 38-year-old believes he paved the way for others to follow when he made the move to the gulf country.
He said: “I knew that by me going to Saudi Arabia I would open the box, Karim Benzema has gone there but I’m sure many others will follow.”
Ronaldo maintains the Pro League would be one of the most important leagues in the world
Cristiano Ronaldo also reaffirmed a notion he has had since he made the switch to the middle east regarding the projections of the Pro league in the next few years.
He said: “I’m sure in two or three years, the Saudi Pro League will be one of the most important leagues in the world.
“Karim left already and I am 1000 percent sure that many more players will”
“May all the stars come to Arabia, there are no problems with the league. What we want is competition.”
However, one man who will not be playing in the Saudi Pro League next season is Lionel Messi.
Messi snubbed an enticing offer from Al Hilal to instead put pen-to-paper on a deal with MLS side Inter Miami.
The Argentine exits Paris Saint Germain after the expiration of his contract on the 30th of June.
Meanwhile, Chelsea star N’Golo Kante is already on the way to the Saudi Pro League as he is on the brink of completing a 86-million-a-year move to Al Ittihad.
Legendary Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets is also reportedly linked with a move to the middle east.
Other notable players who could be joining Cristiano Ronaldo in the gulf country include Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Angel Di Maria, Iago Aspas and Roberto Firmino, as Saudi Arabia continues to invest massively into the development of their league.
