Ronaldo To Join Saudi Arabian Club Al-Nassr On January 1: For two seasons, Ronaldo will get a salary of €200 million (£172 million). The 37-year-old gave a surprising interview prior to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, discussing his time at Manchester United and criticizing the owners and managers Erik ten Hag and Ralf Rangnick.
Cristiano Ronaldo has agreed to a contract with Al-Nassr and will go to Saudi Arabia at the beginning of 2023.
At the end of November, there were rumors that a deal was “near,” and it now seems likely that Ronaldo will play club football outside of Europe for the first time in his career. A deal worth €200 million (£172 million) each season is “final,” according to the Spanish publication Marca, and the Portuguese star is anticipated to sign a two-year deal.
The first contract will be around €100 million (£86 million), and additional revenue from sponsorship and advertising will raise his pay to a record amount, making him the highest-paid athlete in sports.
If the deal goes through, it would indicate that Ronaldo has no plans to add to his domestic and European club championships, which already include the Champions League, which he has won five times, the Premier League, which he has won three times, La Liga, which he has won twice, and a number of cup competitions.
There had been rumors that Ronaldo will go back to Sporting Lisbon, where he first played in the league. Since the beginning of the season, Ronaldo’s benching by new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has generated much discussion.
The dispute stems from Ten Hag’s decision to bench the 37-year-old during United’s 2-0 victory against Tottenham and to request his substitution after the game. Ronaldo refused and left the field before the final whistle.
Then, in a TalkTV interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo claimed that Ten Hag “doesn’t show respect” for him and that he felt “betrayed.”