Cristiano Ronaldo, Image credit: AP/PTI file photo
Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Portugal, has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr, the club announced on Friday. Ronaldo left Manchester United to explore other opportunities.
Ronaldo left Old Trafford last month following an explosive television interview in which the 37-year-old forward claimed to feel betrayed by the club and to have no respect for their Dutch boss Erik ten Hag.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner will join on a term through 2025, according to a statement from Al Nassr, but no financial information was provided. According to media estimates, Ronaldo's contract is worth over 200 million euros ($214.04 million).
"I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia," Ronaldo said in the statement, Reuters reported.
"I am looking forward to joining my new teammates and together with them help the Club to achieve success."
After a dazzling tenure at Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018, where he won two LaLiga titles, two Spanish Cups, four Champions League titles, and three Club World Cups, Ronaldo will come to Saudi Arabia with a great collection of club honours.
He went on to score 451 goals for Real, a club record and has more than 800 senior goals for the club and country in total.
In his three years with Juventus, Ronaldo won two Serie A titles and a Copa Italia trophy before returning to Manchester United, where he had already won three Premier League championships, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League, and the Club World Cup.
He played for Portugal in Qatar, where he scored a penalty against Ghana in their opening Group H match to become the first player to score in five World Cups. Morocco eliminated Portugal from the tournament in the quarterfinals.
Ronaldo, who plans to retire at age 40, stated that Qatar would likely be his final World Cup. Ronaldo, along with Lionel Messi, is currently regarded as one of the greatest players in the game today.
"This is more than history in the making," Al Nassr Football Club President Musalli Almuammar said. "This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations."
The Saudi Arabian team, which has won nine Saudi Pro Premier League championships, is counting on Ronaldo to help them win both their first AFC Asian Champions League and another domestic league title.
The Portuguese forward, though, will miss his opening two domestic matches after receiving a suspension for knocking a phone from a supporter's hand following United's loss at Everton in April.